A History of Theft

Some of the most famous and influential inventions in history might have surprising origins full of theft. In olden times, it was all too easy for individuals of lesser means to be outshined by greedy, privileged, and power-hungry folk. With that in mind, here are 20 inventors who have a serious case of kleptomania.

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1. Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison has a long history of stealing, and one of the most significant items he took credit for was undoubtedly the light bulb. In actuality, the light bulb was created by Sir Humphry Davy, Warren de la Rue, and Joseph Swan. Despite this, Edison took credit by taking their design and beating them to the first commercially viable version.

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2. William Shakespeare

Everyone adores William Shakespeare for his prowess as a playwright. After all, his work is taught in schools. But in reality, plenty of Shakespeare's greatest plots and twists are borrowed from the work of Christopher Marlowe and other contemporary playwrights. Despite being the most famous and memorable writer from his time, he certainly wasn’t the one to come up with all his ideas.

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3. Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is considered one of the greats when it comes to scientific discovery, but things get a bit tricky when it comes to the theory of relativity. Despite being the scientist credited with the discovery, there were actually several scientists that helped in laying out the groundwork and concepts for Einstein’s theories, including names like Hendrik Lorentz and Henri Poincaré. Unfortunately, they didn’t get much of the credit.

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4. Jack Daniels

Taking a turn from inventors to inventions, it turns out many household brands that we use to this day have secretive origins. The whiskey in question was actually created by a Black man named Nearest Green, who was not free and instead was forced to teach his craft of distillery to the founder of Jack Daniel.

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5. The Television

The television is another household item many people continue to enjoy to this day. However, while Philo Farnsworth is considered the true inventor of the television, he wasn’t allowed to claim his fame all that easily. Instead, the Radio Corporation of America fought tooth and nail to steal his invention to no success.

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6. Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell is the famous inventor of the telephone, a device that has revolutionized the world as we know it. However, it turns out Elisha Gray also filed a patent for the telephone the same day Bell did. This led to a series of legal battles, and in terms of public recollection, Bell won the race.

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7. Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard

The computer is another exemplary invention that many of us rely on, but the founder of its creation is hazy at best. While Microsoft is credited for creating personal computers, a long legal battle ensued as Apple and Gary Kildall claimed it was actually their invention.

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8. Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is accredited with creating the social network, but it turns out there were plenty before him. For instance, the Winklevoss twins and Eduardo Saverin claimed Zuckerberg stole their platform Harvard Connection and reiterated it to create Facebook.

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9. The Sewing Machine

Regarding the sewing machine, there is certainty that inventor Isaac Singer stole the ideas of Elias Howe and quickly created a marketable version to achieve commercial success. Due to a strenuous patent battle, Singer was named the inventor despite Howe being the one to have created it.

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10. Post-It Notes

Returning to the comforts of the modern era, another stolen invention most people use every day is Post-It Notes. This one’s a bit tricky, as the product was the result of Spencer Silver’s work creating a sticky adhesive. However, Art Fry took that work and used it to create the notes we know today. This seems more like a group effort rather than outright theft.

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11. Alexander Fleming

Penicillin is one of those products that have saved countless lives and is used to treat various infections. It was discovered by Fleming on accident, but it turns out this process had already been explored at length by Sir Almroth Wright, who never got as much credit.

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12. Monopoly

Monopoly may make or break families and friendships, but it’s certainly a fun game many people keep going back to. Turns out that while Charles Darrow is credited with the creation of the game, it was actually Elizabeth Magie and her work on the Landlord’s Game that led to the inception of Monopoly.

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13. Lasers

Lasers may not seem important, but they’re actually used in major industries from manufacturing to healthcare. While Theodore Maiman is considered the inventor of the laser, there were plenty of other scholars involved who never received much credit, including Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Townes.

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14. Galileo Galilee

Galileo is another famous name plenty of people read about in school. After all, he is credited with creating the telescope and discovering many insights about various planets. However, it turns out a Dutch optician named Hans Lippershey applied for a telescope patent before Galileo improved upon his idea and finalized the design.

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15. The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers are known for their impressive work creating airplanes, eventually leading to the commercial air travel we have today. However, it turned out several others were also working on airplanes, including Octave Chanute and Samuel Langley. It was by stealing the work of their predecessors that the Wright Brothers were able to finish the race.

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16. The Radio

Nikola Tesla is undoubtedly one of the greatest inventors of all time, and unfortunately, his work has been stolen more than once. One person to steal Tesla’s work was Guglielmo Marconi, who took credit for the invention. Later on, the U.S. Supreme Court amended the invention and credited Tesla and Alexander Popov for their crucial contributions.

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17. Bill Gates

Returning to the messy world of Microsoft, it turns out Bill Gates also stole the operating system that led to the popularity of his brand. He built upon the creations and innovations of Tim Paterson, and like most inventors on this list, he decided not to give Paterson any credit.

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18. Igor Sikorsky and the Helicopter

If airplanes weren’t enough, it turns out helicopters also have a bit of theft in their history. While Igor Sikorsky receives the credit for creating modern helicopters, both Juan de la Cierva and Paul Cornu played a major role designing the rotary wing flight system Sikorsky uses.

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19. Henry Ford

The land’s no better than the sky, as even Henry Ford, who is thought to be the creator of the automobile industry, had stolen work from Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. To be specific, Benz and Daimler were the first to invent motorized vehicles, and Ford simply improved upon their original works and commercialized it.

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20. Thomas Edison and Electricity

Thomas Edison has stolen so many inventions throughout his time, it’s only fair to mention him twice on this list. One of the most significant creations is electricity, and Nikola Tesla was crucial in understanding and implementing AC and DC current. Tesla wanted to make electricity free for the world, but Edison was quick to swoop in on the invention and monetize it.

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