# Things you would never admit to inventing, if you had. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 8, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985 "2011-08-08T20:12:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/21 "2011-08-09T12:04:37Z")
[Thomas Midgely Jr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley,_Jr.), inventor of _leaded petrol_ and _CFCs_, deserves a mention in this thread. The _landmine_. _Chemical weapons_. _[Indulgences](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indulgence)_ for cash. _Reality TV_. The _autotuner_. If you invented all these things, you could fairly describe yourself as the Leonardo Da Vinci of evil. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/22 "2011-08-09T12:17:52Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > [Thomas Midgely Jr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley,_Jr.), inventor of _leaded petrol_ and _CFCs_, deserves a mention in this thread. Poor bastard. By all accounts, an exceedingly capable engineer - the guy just didn’t know what we know now. Hell, the invention of CFCs was motivated by a genuinely praiseworthy impulse - earlier refrigerants used to _kill_ people when they leaked. Midgley helped to stop that, and he had no way of knowing he’d be damaging the ozone layer. Least lucky guy ever. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/23 "2011-08-09T12:18:18Z")
Those little magazine inserts that either fall into your lap while reading or that you have to rip out to enjoy the article. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/24 "2011-08-09T12:21:57Z")
**Here’s a thought.** ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/25 "2011-08-09T12:22:09Z")
This font. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/26 "2011-08-09T12:23:21Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > **Here’s a thought.** Damn you!! ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/27 "2011-08-09T13:12:19Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Poor bastard. By all accounts, an exceedingly capable engineer - the guy just didn’t know what we know now. Actually, the guy was genuinely evil. He knew about the dangers of lead poisoning, he suffered from it himself, but lied about it to the press. He may not have known about the danger to the general public, but there were cases of hallucinations, insanity and several deaths at the plant he worked at. He was unlucky on CFCs, their effect on the ozone layers wasn’t known until much later. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/28 "2011-08-09T13:27:30Z")
Those flimsy plastic bags you get at the grocery that cut grooves in your fingers when you try to carry them. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/29 "2011-08-09T13:36:17Z")
Car alarms. I’d be worried about my personal safety if I ever admitted it to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/30 "2011-08-09T13:48:19Z")
annoying online ads, the Macarena, air quotes. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/31 "2011-08-09T13:52:14Z")
The Fleshlight. Ewww. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/32 "2011-08-09T14:42:01Z")
Old age. Accompanied by horrid diseases. Organized religion. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/33 "2011-08-09T14:45:36Z")
[Plushophilia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plushophile). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/34 "2011-08-09T15:05:31Z")
Asbestos insulation ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/35 "2011-08-09T15:09:01Z")
shaky cam ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/36 "2011-08-09T19:35:48Z")
[Plastic clamshell packaging](http://www.treehugger.com/clamshell%20packaging.png), more evil than Pandora’s Box. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/37 "2011-08-09T19:42:03Z")
The Real Doll. ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/38 "2011-08-09T20:08:41Z")
According to Bill Bryson’s **Made in America** , the guy who invented the shopping mall originally intended it as a place to foster a sense of community and bring people together. He died horrified at what his invention wrought. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/39 "2011-08-09T22:37:26Z")
[Classmates.com](http://Classmates.com) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985/40 "2011-08-09T23:07:06Z")
The Democrat Party. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-would-never-admit-to-inventing-if-you-had/591985.md?page=3)