[Fun Fact] 5 Surprising Origin Stories of Famous Global Brands

5 Surprising Origin Stories of Famous Global Brands

We see their logos every day, but behind some of the world’s most iconic brands are origin stories so strange, accidental, and surprising, they sound completely made up. Here are five you probably didn’t know.

1. Nike’s Sole Was Born in a Waffle Iron

In 1971, University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman was searching for a way to create a running shoe that was lighter and faster. He needed a grooved sole that could grip a track without heavy metal spikes. One morning at breakfast, while staring at his wife’s waffle iron, he had a eureka moment. He poured melted urethane into the iron, and though he ruined the appliance, he created the innovative “waffle sole” that would launch Nike’s first major running shoe, the Waffle Trainer, and set the company on its path to global domination.

2. Fanta Was Invented in Nazi Germany

During World War II, a trade embargo against Nazi Germany made it impossible for the local Coca-Cola bottling plant to import the syrup needed to produce Coke. The head of the German branch, Max Keith, needed a new product to keep the plant in business. Using leftover ingredients available in Germany at the time—like whey and apple pomace—he created a fruit-flavored soda. He encouraged his team to use their “fantasie” (German for “imagination”) to name it, and “Fanta” was born.

3. Listerine Started as a Surgical Antiseptic

Before it was the go-to cure for bad breath, Listerine was a powerful surgical antiseptic used to clean operating rooms and treat wounds. Developed in 1879, it was named after Dr. Joseph Lister, the pioneer of antiseptic surgery. For decades, it was marketed for a variety of uses, from cleaning floors to treating dandruff. It wasn’t until the 1920s that it was repositioned as a solution for “chronic halitosis,” a then-obscure medical term the company popularized to create a billion-dollar market.

4. Post-it Notes Were a Failed Superglue

In 1968, a scientist at the 3M company named Dr. Spencer Silver was trying to create a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally created the opposite: a very weak, pressure-sensitive adhesive that would stick to surfaces but could be easily peeled off without leaving a residue. The invention was considered a failure and sat on the shelf for years until a colleague, Art Fry, grew frustrated with the paper bookmarks falling out of his church hymnbook. He remembered Silver’s “useless” glue, applied it to paper, and the Post-it Note was born.

5. Coca-Cola Was Originally Marketed as Medicine

In 1886, a pharmacist in Atlanta named John Pemberton created a flavored syrup that he brought to his local pharmacy. It was mixed with carbonated water and sold at the soda fountain for five cents a glass. But its original purpose wasn’t just to be a refreshing beverage. Pemberton marketed it as a “nerve tonic” and “brain tonic” that could cure headaches, relieve exhaustion, and calm nerves.

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