
Brainstorms and Mindfarts
The Best and Brightest, Dumbest and Dimmest Inventions in American History
Running Press Adult
Published on 3. June 2021
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-0-7624-7244-4 (ISBN)
Description
The American entrepreneurial spirit burns bright today. As of 2018, the US Patent & Trademark Office had granted its ten millionth patent. But with over 500,000 applications now being filed annually, fewer than half of these applicants will be granted patents and far fewer still will realize commercial success. Some are flawed by mistakes or missing details, others too ridiculous to take seriously, still others simply ahead of their time.
From the best and worst to the wackiest and most bizarre inventions and products -- from the horse headlight and Viagra to a motorized spaghetti fork and Slinky -- this collection of 100 life-altering and entertaining patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office includes humorous and informative descriptions of each patent and dozens of original diagrams, figures, and illustrations. The guide also provides insight into the creation and execution of great and not-so-great ideas, what most successful patents have in common, and how great inventors view the world.
From the best and worst to the wackiest and most bizarre inventions and products -- from the horse headlight and Viagra to a motorized spaghetti fork and Slinky -- this collection of 100 life-altering and entertaining patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office includes humorous and informative descriptions of each patent and dozens of original diagrams, figures, and illustrations. The guide also provides insight into the creation and execution of great and not-so-great ideas, what most successful patents have in common, and how great inventors view the world.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Running Press,U.S.
Target group
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
50 Black-and-white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 192 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
340 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7624-7244-4 (9780762472444)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Tom Connor | Jim Downey
Brainstorms and Mindfarts
The Best and Brightest, Dumbest and Dimmest Inventions in American History
E-Book
05/2021
Running Press
€9.49
Available for download
Persons
Connor & Downey are the co-authors and -producers of a dozen and a half books, as well as the authors of the national best-selling parodies Is Martha Stuart Living?, Martha Stuart's Better Than You at Entertaining, and The Smyth 'n Hawk'em Gardening Catalog. Their projects range from humor and satire to pop culture, politics, design, and style. Jim Downey works as a marketing copywriter and satirist while Tom Connor is the head of the literary agency Tom Connor & Associates.