" " Just because it's silly doesn't mean it wasn't brilliant! Stockbyte/Thinkstock

Human ingenuity is limitless. The list of creative and brilliant inventors throughout human history is long and each story is fascinating. Some have achieved legendary status. People like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell helped shape our world through inventiveness. There are other stories about inventors who, working independently, created inventions nearly identical to one another at around the same time. Did Philo Farnsworth or Vladimir Zworykin invent the first electronic television? Legally, the honor goes to Farnsworth but the debate continues to this day.

But there are other inventions that don't have quite the same impact on our way of life. Some of these inventions may seem unusual or even ridiculous. Many fade into obscurity almost immediately after they appear. A few have lasting power and succeed despite -- or perhaps even because of -- the ridicule they receive from the public.



In this article, we'll look at 10 inventions that either were dismissed or embraced as being silly that ended up becoming famous.