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Amazing inventions dismissed as fads that wouldn’t last

Game-changing innovations that were savagely mocked
Fork
Fork
Printing press
Printing press
Umbrella
Umbrella
Canned food
Canned food
Vaccines
Vaccines
Steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
Telephone
Telephone
Electric light bulb
Electric light bulb
Refrigerator
Refrigerator
Daylight saving time (DST)
Daylight saving time (DST)
Bicycle
Bicycle
Automobile
Automobile
Sound film
Sound film
Television
Television
Tupperware
Tupperware
Mobile phone
Mobile phone
Laptop
Laptop
Email
Email
Microwave
Microwave
Internet
Internet
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Rico Shen/Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED]

Game-changing innovations that were savagely mocked

It's hard to believe today, but many of humanity's most important inventions were ridiculed when they were first introduced, dismissed as ludicrous fads that would never catch on.

From the humble fork to the world-conquering mobile phone, read on to discover 20 ingenious innovations that ultimately proved the naysayers very wrong.

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Daniel Coughlin

28 May 2024

Features

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