Moments of Greatness

Consider the ordinary wire hanger.

I know I just did.

The hanger is the place of last resort for much undervalued scrap steel, and it itself undervalued. But Americans use 4 billion wire hangers per year, and at a couple of ounces each, that's quite a load of scrap.

The hanger industry is as diverse as it is stultifyingly dull, with 100 different designs available since the post-World War II "Hanger Boom," according to the Laidlaw Corporation, manufacturer of quality laundry and drycleaning accoutrements.

The wire hanger's inventor, Albert J. Parkhouse, was an enterprising young man employed at Timberlake & Sons, a Jackson, Michigan-based concern that manufactured lampshades and wire novelties. In 1903, coming to work late one morning, young Parkhouse went to hang his coat and found all the hooks occupied.

The wire hanger was born that cold windy morning, once again proving it pays to procrastinate.

The winners write the history books. But the Slackers make them.

To attain True Slack, as with all holy endeavors, one must prepare. Just ask the fine people at HalfBakery.com.

PHSN and pass the comics.

[images via How the Wire Hanger Got Invented]