Great Inventions

Some of the simplest inventions have a huge impact, and are not accepted immediately -- for example, the Phillips screw. When the concept of the cruciform-recessed screw was first patented in 1933 by John Thompson, screw manufacturers said it was impossible to produce. Thompson discussed his idea with an engineer named Henry Phillips, who bought the rights to the patent and formed the Phillips Screw Company. It took a few years of development before the screw went into production; the Cadillac Division of General Motors began assembling all their models with the new screw in 1937. If you're interested, you can read the complete story here.

In case you're wondering what triggered this blip, I was looking at my drawer of nails and screws and wondering if I really needed to keep so many. Whenever I start a project I always buy a few extra nails and screws, especially the more common sizes, unless I already have plenty. After more than forty years, I've accumulated quite a collection. It was an easy decision to get rid of slotted screws, even for a confirmed pack rat like me. Anybody who's used both types of screw will understand why.