The Unknown Geniuses Behind 10 Of The Most Useful Inventions Ever

1912: Candy maker Sam Born invents the machine that inserts sticks into lollipops and receives a key to San Francisco

Whose idea: Sam Born

The inspiration: A Russian immigrant, Born was already trained in the art of candy making by the time he came to the United States in 1910. A frugal man, Born wanted to make every part of the candy making process as efficient as possible. In 1912, he introduced the Born Sucker Machine, which quickly and mechanically inserts sticks into lollipops.

What came of it: The automatic lollipop maker helped make the candy, and Born’s company, into a huge success. He was awarded the key to San Fransisco in 1916. Today, Just Born serves 35 countries and is known worldwide for being the makers of Peeps.