Why Didn't I Think of That?: 101 Inventions that Changed the World by Hardly Trying

by Anthony Rubino Jr.

Writer and cartoonist Anthony Rubino, Jr. hilariously shares 101 inventions that bizarrely changed the world.

Why Didn't I Think of That? proves not all successful inventions are the greatest thing since sliced bread (not even sliced bread, which is literally just a precut loaf for lazy loafs).

This humorous guide to “mind-blowing” inventions deconstructs just how complex these can't-live-without necessities really are, while providing some insightful(ly funny) lessons to future inventors, such

Deadly weapons do make great kids' toys.

Boredom is the stepmother of invention.

Bottled There is no such thing as a stupid idea.

Complete with useful trivia--like the fact that 100 trillion paperclips have been sold--readers will be able to impress their friends by hardly trying.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2010

Reviews

[Matevž]

A so-so rehash of facts that are more or less known. A nice read, but nothing specatucalr.

[Shannon]

I really liked this book, because I learned so much about regular day inventions and how they cam to be-and I love things like that. I love to learn fun facts so that I can share them with the world because it's not fun if I only know about them. I also liked the author of this book; he was really funny and inspired his readers to go invent something of their own. I would definitely recommend this book to others. I'm sure they'll be surprised about how some of these inventions came to be!

[Nikola Petrov]

101 entries of nothing but the most basic facts (usually the name of the inventor and how many units the product sells annually) followed by a joke. The author thinks he's clever and cute, but 101 of these fell flat for me.

[Ravi Narayanan]

Good informative collection to read in small snippets of time. I read a few pages intermittently for more than a month.

[Oak]

101 stupid and interesting facts to bring out on a conversation between nerds.

[Bel]

A fun and easy reading. You get exactly what the title says it is - a Short handbook of quick facts.

[Richard Martin]

Basically, presentation of 101 inventions. Sadly, most are common in such books. There are just a few that are unique. Structurally, the obverse pages discuss the history of the item and the adverse pages are colorful illustrations. Sidebars are scattered about. The text is conversational.

[Ina]

Funny and highly interesting. I was super entertained for an hour by reading this.  Who would have thought that my ever loved and highly commercialized Post-Its’ started also in humble, very simple and yeah, hardly thought-of beginnings!

[Jbussen]

Written with humor but hardly what the title implies. I mean golf changed the world? huh? The toothpick? French Fries? If you borrow it and give it a flip and skip a bunch, . . . Meh, this is a bathroom reader but jus a so so one at that. Worth a borrow and a brief stay by your bowl...or not.

[Thk]

Nothing too exciting.. a rehash of known info

[Andy]

Ehh. It was OK, but mostly a rehash of inventions you already knew about. There are a couple of minor revelations which brought a smile. Bathroom book.

[Natalie Fife]

Some language, sad humor, and misspellings.

[Ernest]

Great list

[Timothy]

A good tour over history and the scenarios that led to what we use daily or take for granted nowadays.