Official Kids Mag

By Randy Rice Official Kids Mag Right here in Northwest Arkansas, a 14-year- old used her imagination to create something she thought kids could use. Sofia Overton, of Bentonville, is the founder of Wise Pocket Products. Her company produces a line of clothing made for active kids, with built-in pockets to put stuff in. She came up with the idea when she was 11 years old. "I started my company, Wise Pocket Products, at 11 years old because I wanted to make life easier for active kids and better for kids in need," Sofia explains on her website. "One day, I saw my older cousin put her phone in her boot because she did not have any pockets in the leggings she was wearing. I never had pockets big enough to hold my phone either, so I tried it too. It was SO uncomfortable because it kept slipping down to my ankle. This gave me the idea for my first product, socks with a wise pocket!" Every inventor will tell you that an invention starts with the spark of an idea. And that day, Sofia got her spark and she was on her way. "I created my first prototype by adding a wisely placed inside pocket at the top of the sock," she says. "The pocket was big enough to hold her phone and it worked great." a "wise" idea becomes an invention By Randy Rice | Official Kids Mag You don't have to wait to become an adult to be an inventor. These kids proved it! Most of the young people on this list created their inventions before they even made it out of high school. Philo Farnsworth • age: 14 Invention: television Without Philo Farnsworth we may have never seen a television. Can you imagine? As a 14-year-old boy in Rigby, Idaho, Philo drew his first sketch of what would later become the electronic television. He is considered to be the godfather of the modern television. Peter chilvers • age: 12 Invention: Windsurfing In 1958, 12-year-old Peter Chilvers created the very first sailboard. As a young boy he lived on the southern coast of Britain. He loved all kinds of water sports. One day he decided to put a sail on his surfboard and the rest is history. George nissen • age: 16 Invention: trampoline George Nissen designed the first modern trampoline in his parent's garage. He first built a rectangular frame. Then stretched a piece of canvas over the rectangular frame that was tight enough to bounce on. This was the first trampoline. Horatio adams • age: Mid-teens Invention: Bubble Gum Some people think chewing gum was invented by businessman Thomas Adams. But it was his son, Horatio, who made the discovery. Thomas had purchased Mexican chicle and was trying to figure out how use the natural substance as a rubber substitute. But young Horatio quickly saw that chicle could be turned into a chewable substance. He created 200 balls of what later became known as bubble gum. Horatio had the local druggist dispense the balls. By mid-afternoon that day, all bubble gum balls had been sold for 1 penny. George Westinghouse • age: 19 Invention: rotary steam engine In 1865, George Westinghouse received his first patent for the rotary steam engine. He was only 19. He also had many more inventions throughout his life. One invention was a braking system that made it possible for trains to travel more safely, and at higher speeds. Youngest Inventors of all time 10 Patent A government license giving a title for the right to stop others from making, using, or selling an invention. Kid inventor: Inventor A person who comes up with a new process, device or product that no one has done before. Sofia 40 • August 2020 • officialKidsMag.com

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