Tums was invented in Webster Groves by a pharmacist name Jim Howe as he was trying to help his wife’s stomach distress. The manufacturing company became known as Lewis-Howe, named after he and his uncle, A.H. Lewis, who was a pharmacist in Bolivar, Missouri.
Roller bearings were invented by Sedalia native Henry Timken in 1898. They were a revolution in not only reducing friction, but also by helping loads stay stable when a wagon turned. Timken opened a company in St. Louis around the time that vehicles came about. By 1920 he was making 90-percent of all bearings in the United States.
Charles Leiper Grigg of Price’s Branch invented 7-Up in 1929, although he never disclosed what the name meant. He was also the inventor of Howdie and Whistle soft drinks.
The Dalton Adding Machine is an interesting Missouri story. Hubert Hopkins of St. Louis worked to patent and adding machine, but kept running to issues with manufacturing. So James Dalton bought the rights to manufacture them and eventually moved the company to his hometown of Poplar Bluff.
The invention of the pancake mix dates back to 1889 and is thanks in large part to the St. Joseph Gazette. The editor of the newspaper, Chris Rutt, and a friend, Charles Underwood came up with the ready-made Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix at the Pearl Milling Company in St. Joseph.
Cherry Mash was invented by Ernest Chase of the Chase Candy Company in in St. Joseph in 1918.
Kansas City Fire Chief George Hale came up with an idea that made life better and safer for firefighters everywhere. In 1885, he invented Fire Escape Suspenders. These allowed firefighters to lower themselves to the ground if they are ever trapped while also making sure all of their gear and clothing were supported.
Big Chief Writing Tablets were patented in 1947 at the Western Tablet Company of St. Joseph. They trademarked the notebooks which were made from newsprint paper. They were discontinued in 2001 as spiral notebooks dominated the paper market.
It should be noted that crackers existed before the F.L. Sommer and Company of St. Joseph made their invention of Premium Saltine Crackers. But they are credited with using a soda cracker recipe under the name Saltine. They became the first company to mass produce them.
Tea has been around for thousands of years, but what happened at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis changed everything. A vendor named Richard Blechynden realized that people walking around a hot fair were not in the mood for a hot tea. So he put some on ice and started giving it away. And the rest is history.
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It's said that Bruce Ridgeway of Mexico, MO invented the automatic transmission. I think there are locals still alive around there with more information than I can provide.
I will check that one out.