5 Iconic American Products You May Have Used And The History Surrounding Them

There are, both past and present, many American icons that we are very familiar with. If you've ever wondered some of the history of these icons, then look no farther than here.  Cheerio's, weed eaters, Elvis and McDonald's are all examples of icons that America has birthed. Here are 5, interesting and historical facts about iconic American products.

1. Jack Daniel's - In the mid-1800's, a man by the name of Jack Daniel was a master distiller of whiskey and operated in Lynchburg, Tennessee. One reason he operated there, was because the ingredients for the whiskey were abundant in that region. In 2012, Mark Evans, a Welsh businessman, found a recipe written in 1853 by his great-great-grandmother, an herbalist. It was the same year that his great-great uncle left for America. His name was John "Jack the Lad" Daniels.
2. WD-40 - In 1953 a chemist invented WD-40 in his company Rocket Chemical. With only a high school education, Norm Larsen was self-taught, loved to read and wanted to invent something useful. The space program had a problem with corrosion caused by moisture. After 39 failures, his team found success at the 40th attempt and Water Displacement formula 40, better known as WD-40, was born.
3. Play-Doh - Originally created as a wall-paper cleaning compound, it's pretty interesting what that turned into. Noah and Joseph McVicker, uncle and nephew, are the inventors of what we know as Play-Doh. Joseph was having a conversation with a friend, who was a teacher, about the pains of old-style modeling clay. It was tough to use and clean up. So Joe McVicker sent his teacher friend a box of the compound, and it became a hit in his class. General Mills bought the company - Rainbow Crafts - in 1965 and Kenner in 1971. Kids still love the original off white colored clay today.
4. Listerine - Developed by Dr. Joseph Lawrence and based on the findings of Joseph Lister, Listerine has been a blessing for many through the years. It was originally used as the first antiseptic and used by surgeons. At the time, Lister didn't know that carbolic acid killed germs. Before surgeons knew how to stop infections, amputations were the remedy to stop them. Carbolic Acid is hard on the skin, therefore surgeons started using boric acid in its place. However, by 1910, Listerine was being used as an oral antiseptic by many.
5. Dr. Pepper - Are you a "Pepper?" Well if you are, then you'll want to know that the popular soft drink was not invented by a doctor, but rather by a pharmacist named Charles Alderton in 1885. He worked at a drug store in Waco, Texas named Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store. Contrary to popular belief, the old soft drink was not mixed as a medicine, but just because Alderton liked to mix up flavorful "fuzzy stuff." Supposedly, it was named after a friend named Dr. Charles Pepper, by the owner of the store - Wade Morrison. Alderton eventually sold his half and the new partners introduced the drink at the 1904 World's Fair Expo in St. Louis, Missouri. The rest is history.