Franklin, da Vinci, Edison, Ford.
These names are known for how their inventions and ideas changed the world.
But there can only be so many legends.
History is full of failures — creations that confused, appalled, disgusted, injured, or even killed people.
Maybe these flops can help us. Next time, we can get things right.
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Hydrogen blimps
As early as 1908, blimps filled with hydrogen — the Earth's lightest element and a cheaper alternative to helium — were set aloft.
But hydrogen's flammability quickly became apparent when ships started bursting into flames.
Though the Hindenburg disaster is perhaps the most iconic blimp malfunction, it wasn't the first case of a hydrogen blimp exploding.
In fact, the 1937 tragedy was one of the last before manufacturers switched to helium forever.
Leaded gasoline
As early as 1921, manufacturers believed that using leaded gasoline would significantly enhance a car's performance.
As early as 1924, however, reports were coming in that employees at the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey were falling ill with "occupational disease."
Really, they had lead poisoning.
It took until 1975 for the US Environmental Protection Agency to respect the health risks associated with leaded gasoline. By 1995, all cars had made the switch to unleaded.
DDT
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was first synthesized in 1874, but it didn't get its reputation as an effective pesticide until the late 1930s. During World War II, militaries used DDT to reduce the rates of malaria, body lice, typhus, and the bubonic plague.
And like many dangerous innovations, it worked. Cases of malaria fell from 400,000 in 1946 to almost zero in 1950.
But there were clear downsides. In numerous tests on plants, lab animals, and long-term studies on humans, DDT was shown to have toxic effects in the majority of cases. Animals became sterile or developed cancer, and plant life suffered because of DDT's long half-life in soil.
In 1972, the newly formed EPA banned its use in the US.
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