Official Kids Mag

Photos courtesy wisepocketproducts.com Frank epperson • age: 11 Invention: Popsicles In 1905, eleven-year-old Frank Epperson forgot about a mixture of water and powdered soda that was in a cup with a stirring stick on his porch. It was a cold evening and the next morning, Frank discovered a frozen pop on his porch. He found it delicious and called it an "Epsicle." For the next 18 years, Epperson didn't try to sell his accidental invention. But, he made the tasty creation for his children and they called the cold treat "Pop's Sicle." In 1923, he finally applied for a patent and it became a hit. Blaise Pascal • age: 19 Invention: Mechanical calculator Almost 400 years ago in 1642, young Blaise Pascal would watch his father at work. Pascal's father spent all day conducting complex math calculations as a tax collector for the King of France. Little Pascal created a wooden box that had 16 separate dials and when each dial was turned, additions and subtractions were able to be done quickly. His creation of an "adding machine" was the groundwork for the modern day calculator. Becky schroeder • age: 12 Invention: Glo-sheet In 1974, Becky Schroeder created The Glo-Sheet and became the youngest woman to be granted a U.S. patent. Becky was only 10 years old when she was attempting to do homework in her mom's car. As it got darker outside, she had the idea that there should be a way to make her paper easier to see in the dark. Becky took matters into her own hands and began playing around with phosphorescent materials, which exhibited light but without heat. She then used phosphorescent paint to cover an acrylic board and The Glow Sheet was created. Louis Braille • age: 15 Invention: Braille reading As a child, Louis Braille was accidentally blinded. After moving to Paris to attend a school for the blind, he found they had books that allowed the students to use their hands to touch large raised words on the page as a means for them to read. Braille decided to create a better system using raised dots instead of raised letters. The language of Braille has since become the writing system used by the blind around the world. alexander Graham Bell • age: 18 Invention: telephone Alexander Graham Bell was only 18 years old when he started to develop a way to transmit speech. His creation of what he called the "harmonic telegraph" involved the idea of transmitting a voice message through a single wire to a receiver in a separate location. His experiments with his assistant Thomas Watson finally proved successful on March 10, 1876, when the first complete sentence was transmitted: "Watson, come here; I want you." Sofia had her idea, but then she had to find a way to manufacture and sell her socks. She decided she needed $10,000. To get the money she launched a crowd funding campaign in January 2018. She was able to reach her goal in one month. The next year Sofia was selected to be on the ABC reality show Shark Tank. She has wanted to be on the show since she was six years old. The show features budding entrepreneurs who get the chance to make their dreams come true. They present their ideas to five investors or "sharks," who made their own dreams a reality. Sofia's episode aired earlier this year in January. She got two sharks to invest in her company for $35,000. Sofia also believes that giving back goes hand-in-hand with success. "We are Generation Z kids who want their purchases to make a difference," Sofia says. "There are so many kids across the country that are in need. In my school district alone there are 627 considered to be homeless. So, we give a new pair of socks to a kid in need for every pair of socks sold. Wise Pocket Products believes that if you make sure a child has warm feet they will always have a warm heart knowing that their community cares for them." Entrepreneur A person who comes up with their own business, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. Manufacture Make or produce something in a consistent and reliable way. Prototype A first model of something from which other forms are developed or copied. officialKidsMag.com • August 2020 • 41

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