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Inventions That Are So Well-Made They Cannot Be Improved Upon

Inventions That Are So Well-Made They Cannot Be Improved Upon
Donald Giannatti/Unsplash

The first version of most inventions that make life easier inevitably becomes outdated.

Remember the first time the iPhone revolutionized the way people interacted and communicated with one another around the world?

Who knew then that Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max would be a far superior version of the communication device offered by the manufacturer a decade and a half later?

While some innovations have room for improvement, it's inconceivable that there are some inventions that are simply too perfect to be bested.

In other words, if it's not broken, why fix it?


Curious to hear what those might be, an anonymous Redditor asked:

"What invention is so good that it actually can’t be improved upon?"

We can't imagine life without these things that have never required modifications.

Bowling Pins Benefit From This

"I've heard the Pin setter machine in bowling Alleys has never had a redesign. It was perfect already."

– Garuda475

The Perfect Conduit

"The XLR cable. Until they can beam something directly into your head, we kind of hit a dead end for perceived sound. The simplicity of what a cable can do by allowing both AC and DC power to flow through so you can power and draw signal from a microphone. Plus the fact it's so simple to remove the noise you get from outside interference makes it even more genius."

– anon

No Olfactory Offenders

"P-trap - a simple elegant way to prevent odor from coming into your house via sink, toilet, etc."

– BioSciGuy

Pie Of Perfection

" Pizza. You can change it up, you can ruin it, and you can fold it half like a crazy calzone munching madman, but you can’t beat perfection."

– TheGardenBlinked

These items have been around since as far back as anyone in our lifetimes can remember.

Upon Reflection

"A mirror is as good as it gets for its usage."

epanek

Keeping Things Together For More Than A Century

"Paper clip. Last major patent was in the 1880's."

– SaltyChickenDip

An Organizer's Bestie

"The paper clip is great. But the binder clip is the sh*t. I've had the same binder clip as a money clip for 15 years. Plus they are great for easy cord management, chip clips, tooth paste squeezers, and so much more. I often feel like the George Washington Carver of binder clips because I extoll their value so much. Those things are dope city."

– spaceman_danger

You can't really improve upon the simplicity of these objects.

It Doesn't Discriminate

"I'd say nail clippers. Rich and poor people all use the same thing to clip their nails."

– rotatedesophagus

For The Iron Chef In All Of Us

"Cast iron skillet est. 1707."

– doctor_krieger_md

The Original Lego

"The brick."

"It has been made of mud, then mud with straw, then mud with clay, then finally with clay alone. That is as far as progress has taken the brick, in the (guess) 8,000 years since it was invented, and it is still in use today."

"Someone, lost in the obscurity of ancient history, realised that you couldn't build really strong stone structures with irregularly-shaped small natural stones, and hewing huge lumps of stone into regular shapes was just ridiculously hard work."

"That person also observed that mud that fell into a fire was left hardened when the fire died down. So they figured that if you shaped mud into regular shapes, big enough to carry one in each hand, you would have all the advantages of small irregular stones and large geometrically-carved stones, but with none of the drawbacks of either."

"This thought must have taken a second to dawn on the inventor. The practical work to prove the concept must have taken a weekend, at most. Perhaps a week or two to get the shape just right. And here we are, thousands of years later, and the damn thing has barely changed at all."

– falsescorpion

While there are certainly some great examples here, there's one valuable creation in this world that is perfect.

It's you.

Remember, no matter what noise or violent storms crowd you in difficult times, you will prevail because you are perfect.

There is only one you. And while there are things we can do to better ourselves, the core of who we are is a constant.

Stay true to who you are because there is nothing wrong with you. Remember, you matter.

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