Kids don’t tell their brains ‘no’ and consequently, they can be incredibly innovative and outside the box thinkers. Those are exactly the kinds of people who invent great things. The following list contains 11 inventions that you may know and love, items that you may use on a regular basis, or inventions you may have heard of in the news. What you might not know, however, is that they were all invented by kids.

1. The Best
Kid
Inventions
in History

2. The Popsicle
In 1905, 11-year-old Frank
Epperson invented the
Popsicle completely by
accident. Frank left a cup of
powdered soda, water and a
stirring stick outside one cold
night and awoke to find a
refreshing treat. Initially
dubbed the "Epsicle," he
obtained a patent in 1923 and
sold the rights to a large New
York company. Now available in
30 flavors, hundreds of
thousands of Epperson's
Popsicles are eaten in the U.S.
each year.

3. The Popsicle
In 1905, 11-year-old Frank
Epperson invented the
Popsicle completely by
accident. Frank left a cup of
powdered soda, water and a
stirring stick outside one cold
night and awoke to find a
refreshing treat. Initially
dubbed the "Epsicle," he
obtained a patent in 1923 and
sold the rights to a large New
York company. Now available
in 30 flavors, hundreds of
thousands of Epperson's
Popsicles are eaten in the U.S.
each year.

4. Ear Muffs
Irked by how cold his ears
became while ice skating
outdoors in his native Maine,
15-year-old Chester
Greenwood asked his
grandmother to sew fur onto a
two-loop wire he'd made.
Shortly thereafter, in the early
1870s, he obtained a patent
and made a final model for the
ear protectors. On December
21, the state of Maine still
celebrates "Chester
Greenwood Day" to celebrate
its clever inventor.

5. Braille
LouisBraille was just 3 years
old in 1812 when he was
injured and lost his vision.
Later on, as a teen studying at
The National Institute for Blind
Youth in Paris, he designed a
system using raised dots in
specific patterns to aid in
reading. The first Braille book
was released in 1829, and in
1837 Louis added symbols for
math and music. Braille has
since been adapted for nearly
every single language, from
Albanian to Zulu.

6. Early Television
While several inventors contributed to the creation of the television, Philo T. Farnsworth made a few indispensable advances.
In 1921, the 15-year-old had the sketches, diagrams and notes to make an electronic television system. By 21, Farnsworth
transmitted his first electronic image and held the earliest public demonstration of a working TV. At the time of his death in
1971, the average television set included about 100 items that he originally patented.

7. Kidkare Ride-On Car
Upon visiting a children's
hospital in 1998, 6-year-old
Spencer Whale noticed that
medical apparati often got in
the way when sick children
attempted to play. Spencer
went home and created a
rideable car with an attached
IV pole so that sick kids could
play safely and easily while
receiving their medicine.
Several children's hospitals
across the country now own
KidKare Cars and Trucks.

8. Sign Language Translator
After watching a translator
order fast food for a group of
deaf people in around 2002,
17-year-old Ryan Patterson
invented a glove with special
sensors that translate the hand
motions of American Sign
Language into written words
on a digital display. The gadget
can also be customized to
recognize an individual's
signing style and now includes
audio features.

9. The Algae Mobile
In 2011, 17-year-old Param
Jaggi invented a device that
uses algae to convert harmful
carbon dioxide from an
automobile's exhaust pipe into
clean oxygen, just as it would
in nature. A number of
organizations, including The
EPA, Intel and Forbes have
recognized Jaggi for his work—
not too shabby, considering
the Texan still isn't old enough
buy beer.

10. Screening Technique
In 2009, 16-year-old Janet
Song and her 15-year-old
brother Benjamin came up
with a new, less invasive way
to screen for early signs of
cancer analyzing urine for DNA
markers associated with liver,
colon and other cancers before
more pronounced symptoms
occur. While not yet available
for clinical use, it has the
potential to greatly increase
survival rates.

11. Fire Prevention Devices
In 2011, 17-year-old high school senior and volunteer fire fighter Paul Hyman invented a sensor in dryers to detect when lint is
in danger of catching fire, releasing carbon dioxide to put out potential flames. He also created a tiny infrared camera for
firefighter masks to help see through thick smoke and flames. Funded in full by Clarkson University, Hyman runs a fire safety
business through his dorm room.

12. The Hot Seat
After hearing about three children
dying in hot cars in the summer of
2010, Alissa Chavez from New
Mexico decided to do something
about it. "Hot Seat" is basically a
car alarm for car seats that will set
off three alarms — one on the key
fob, one on a phone app and a
vehicle alarm — to alert parents
who may have forgotten their
child was still in the car. Chavez,
17, won three science fairs in a
row with this invention that she
thought of when she was in 8th
grade, and is now trying to
fundraise to build a prototype.
A truly lifesaving device from an
amazing girl.