15 Weird but True Stories Behind Unique American Products

In the long history of American products, some initially odd ideas were transformed into household staples and cultural icons that Americans now take for granted. Most US invention stories involved luck, perseverance, and usually a strange quirk of ingenuity. Some backstories of American items, like the Etch-A-Sketch or the aerosol can, merely involved ideas or technologies developed elsewhere and adapted creatively in the US. But there are also some very unique US product stories, frequently involving unintended consequences and bizarre outcomes, behind how certain products were invented. Here is a list of some of the best.