Viagra, Kleenex, and Other Products Originally Invented for Another Purpose

Many of the products we know and love today have been around forever, so we only know them as they are — and how we use them — today. But what you might not know is that so many of those products were originally invented for another purpose entirely. From bipolar medication that became a popular soda to pie dishes that became college lawn toys, here are some of the popular items we use today that were created with other purposes in mind. 

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Original purpose: Surgical Antiseptic

Invented in 1879, Listerine was originally supposed to be a floor cleaner, surgical antiseptic, and was even used to treat gonorrhea. It had many different purposes over the next 100+ years, from dandruff treatment to cigarette additive, but didn’t become a halitosis quick fix until the 1910s.

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Original purpose: Nuclear Missile Lubricant

While the original purpose of WD-40 isn’t too far off from what it’s used for today, it was originally created by a California-based company called Rocket Chemical Co. as a way to lubricate nuclear missiles during the Cold War era. The name is an abbreviation for “water displacement, 40th attempt.” 

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Original purpose: Wallpaper

Originally intended to be wallpaper, bubble wrap got a second chance when IBM announced a new computer release in 1959. Al Fielding and Marc Chavannes, inventors and founders of Sealed Air Corp., pitched their failed product as packaging materials for fragile items, and bubble wrap took off. 

Original purpose: Wallpaper Cleaner

In the 1930s, Cleo McVickers, a soap manufacturer in Cincinnati, created a moldable clay as a way to clean wallpaper. The clay didn’t become a toy for children until a relative, Kay Zufall, shared it with her preschoolers. She even gave the product its name: Play-Doh. 

Original purpose: Mill Grain Tool for Idle Prisoners

In 1818, English engineer Sir William Cubitt wanted to find a way to do something with idle prisoners and reform them, so he created an endless staircase with a handrail for prisoners to mill grain as they walked. The original staircase looks much more like a modern day stairclimber than a treadmill.

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Original purpose: Keep Navigational Equipment from Shifting

The slinky was invented in the 1940s when Richard James, a naval engineer, tried to solve the issue of keeping navigational equipment from moving while at sea. He coiled wired to create a spring and when he saw it “walk” away, he told his wife and they developed the modern day Slinky together.

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Original purpose: Surgical Dressing

During WWI, Kimberly-Clark created a surgical dressing for treating battle wounds. The nurses at the Red Cross discovered that the material called Cellucotton, made from wood pulp, was incredibly absorbent and inexpensive — qualities that would pave the way for the first mass-marketed disposable sanitary napkin for menstruation. The product got its name when an employee described it as having a “cotton-like texture,” which was then shortened to “cot-tex,” but “kotex” was easier to say.     

Original purpose: Alternative to Morphine Addiction

John Pemberton, the inventor of Coke, created the drink in 1892 as a way to treat his headaches and relieve anxiety brought on by his morphine addiction. Originally called Pemberton’s French Wine Coca, the recipe took another 20 years to become what it is today.

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Original purpose: Birthing Tool

Two Scottish doctors invented the chainsaw in 1780 to split a woman’s pelvis during childbirth, allowing the baby to pass through the birth canal more easily. It would be another century before the bone-cutting device was patented for wood-cutting.

Original purpose: Gas mask filters 

Kleenex was originally sold as a filter for gas masks in the first World War, but in 1924, Kimberly-Clark made the sheets thinner and softer and sold them as a replacement for cold-cream towels, used to help apply skincare serums. It wasn’t until 1930 that marketing shifted to include nose needs, six years after Kleenex was invented. 

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Original purpose: Hypertension Treatment

Officially called Sildenafil, Viagra was created by Pfizer to treat symptoms of heart disease like angina and hypertension, but during clinical trials, the drug wasn’t treating those things the way it was supposed to. Male patients, however, were experiencing erections as a common side effect. In 1998, Viagra hit the market as a treatment for erectile dysfunction.  

Original purpose: Curb Sexual Desires

Graham crackers were invented in New Jersey by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham as a way to curb sexual desire. Graham believed sex was a rapant evil in the world and that a diet of simple foods would curb any desires. 

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Original purpose: Blood Pressure Medication

The popular hair-growth medicine was originally created to lower blood pressure, which it did. However, an unexpected side effect was increased hair growth in patients. Rogaine was adjusted to avoid growth in unwanted areas before taking off and becoming the popular hair growth serum it is today. 

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Original purpose: Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Originally called “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda,” 7UP was made with lithium and used as a drug to treat those suffering from bipolar disorder. The soda contained lithium until the 1950s, and it has been suggested that the “7” in the name refers to lithium’s atomic mass.

Original purpose: Laboratory Equipment

Nalgene was originally developed as a line of polyethylene laboratory equipment, meant to be an unbreakable container that could withstand reactive chemicals and high temperatures. Some of the scientists used the bottles while hiking, prompting Nalge’s president to take the products camping to test them out for himself. They were still used in the lab, but later advertised as water bottles as well. 

Original purpose: Feminine Hygiene Spray

When Lysol first hit the market, it was advertised as a household cleaner, vaginal douche, and even hinted at the ability to be used as contraception. The product was not just dangerous, it didn’t prevent pregnancy, either. Today the brand has grown into many other cleaning products, all of which are meant for inanimate objects. 

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Original purpose: Curb Sexual Desires

In the same vein as Sylvester Graham, William and John Kellogg created cornflakes in the 19th century to quell sexual desires. The brothers developed the recipe to feed their patients at their sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. Although their relationship was fraught with drama and lawsuits, the Kellogg brothers patented the cereal and built the Kellogg brand. 

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Original purpose: Sealing Ammunition Cases

Duct tape was invented by Vesta Stoudt, who had two sons in the Navy, for military use in World War II as a way to seal ammunition boxes. Carpenters also used the tape on ducts, hence the name duct tape. Today, you can find the adhesive in any craft aisle in an array of colors, patterns, and prints. 

Original purpose: Pie Pans

In 1871, William Frisbie sold pies to students at Yale in tin pans. Once the students ate the pies, they threw the tin pans around yelling “Frisbee.” It wasn’t until 1957 that Wham-O sold plastic versions of the tins, called “Pluto Platters.”

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Original purpose: Tea Sample Container

In 1904, a tea importer from New York, began using silk sachets to bag tea samples and make tea more stylish. People loved the silk bags of tea, not because of their look, but because it was much easier to enjoy a cup of tea by steeping the porous silk bags.