WD-40’s formula, unpatented after 40 tries, sits locked in a San Diego vault—a trade secret worth millions.

The fire hydrant’s inventor vanished when a blaze razed the patent office in 1836—irony at its cruelest.

US patents last 20 years before going public domain, giving inventors two decades to cash in or change history.

Shunpei Yamazaki’s 12,587 patents power every glowing phone screen—a quiet Japanese genius reshapes tech.

Thomas Edison churned out a patent every 11 days for decades, his relentless drive illuminating the modern age.

A nuclear-powered drill got patented in the Cold War—impractical, but a testament to unhinged imagination.

France gifted a photography patent to the world in 1841, but snubbed Britain with a tax—old grudges die hard.

Michael Jackson patented anti-gravity shoes to nail his 45-degree ‘Smooth Criminal’ lean—dance met engineering.

Mark Twain’s 1871 patent for adjustable garment straps outearned his books for a spell—wit met practicality.

Hedy Lamarr’s wartime frequency-hopping patent was ignored, only to later birth Wi-Fi—beauty hid brilliance.

The first US patent in 1790 went to a potash process for soap—humble chemistry kicked off a nation’s ingenuity.

A 1896 patent for a hat-tipping device automated Victorian politeness—gentlemen’s swagger, mechanized.

In 1421, Filippo Brunelleschi patented a crane-boat to haul marble for Florence’s cathedral—a Renaissance win.

A 1999 patent for an automatic bed maker promised perfect sheets with zero effort—laziness drove innovation.

Ancient Greece rewarded inventors with cash for ‘useful devices,’ laying the groundwork for patent systems.

Gordon Gould battled 38 years and spent a fortune to claim his laser patent—persistence outshone the beam.

Apple’s ‘slide-to-unlock’ patent triggered a $500M war with Samsung over a finger swipe—simplicity got pricey.

Marconi’s radio patent stole the spotlight, leaving Tesla penniless despite his earlier waves of genius.

Microsoft patented hyperlinks opening new windows in 1998—every click’s ancestor started there.

Amazon’s 1-click buying patent, born in 1999, got licensed to Apple—convenience turned into a goldmine.