Listing to Port

1. The shopping trolley. The shopping trolley was one of the first inventions to spring from the fertile mind of Mr. Benjamin Trolley, a little-known farmhand in rural Australia. Interestingly, the first designs for the shopping trolley were not intended to hold groceries at all; rather, they began as a device for trapping and transporting wombats. This is why modern-day trolleys often still feature what is known as a ‘wombat flap’ - a hinged opening at the back through which animals can enter. A visiting American entrepreneur, Mr. Gregory Cart, recognised the potential in Trolley’s designs and stole a set of early blueprints, bringing what he termed the 'Shopping Cart’ to the market in the United States in 1905. Although Mr. Trolley won a subsequent lawsuit to be recognised as the original inventor, the damage was done. To this day, his invention is referred to by the name of his rival across much of the world.
2. The badge. The history of the badge is tied up with that of the 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act in the UK. During the run-up to this Act, there was some debate both in parliament and amongst the general public as to whether badger-baiting should be included in the list of prohibited acts. A popular movement in support of the badger arose, based around the London area of Holborn. Participants frequently greeted each other with the 'Holborn Snort’, a sound intended to mimic the call of an angry badger, and wore makeshift brooches depicting the black and white insignia of their alliance. Over time, these became known as 'badges’. Following the passing of the Act (successfully including a ban on badger-baiting), the badge was co-opted by other popular movements, eventually achieving its present ubiquity.
3. The sock. Interestingly, the sock was commonly known as the foot-glove until at least 1885. Thus one finds, for example, Shakespeare’s famous quote from Romeo and Juliet, 'O, that I were a glove upon that foot.’ (perhaps one of the earliest occurrences of foot fetishism in English Literature?) The sock owes its change of name to a quartet in the original version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Princess Ida, in which a group of frightened maidens prepare for battle by competing to remove each other’s socks, eventually culminating in an energetic punch-up, or 'sock-em-up’ in the terminology of the time. The brief, wild popularity of this scene led to the adoption of the word 'sock’ for the foot-glove among London thespians, and subsequently the wider population. The scene itself was presented to Queen Victoria in 1895, who let it be known that she disapproved. It was subsequently cut from later versions of the operetta.
4. The doormat. Doormats were seldom seen in common use until 1770; before this time, people just tracked mud everywhere (a detail often omitted in historical dramas). The original idea for the doormat is believed to have come from one John Frederickson, an English inventor in the service of the King of France at Versailles in 1763. At this time, the fashion for highly-polished mirrored or gold-plated doors was beginning to wane in favour of a more subtle look. Frederickson invented what he termed his 'door-mattifying device’, a scratchy mat which could be rubbed over a polished surface to reduce its shine. The door-mattifying devices, once left beside their respective doors, soon acquired the secondary use we know today. Interestingly, the proper term for a doormat in French is still le chose pour porte-frottement.
5. The mug. Most people believe that the origins of the mug must lie far back in history. Interestingly, this is not the case. The mug as we know it was invented in 1835 by American philanthropist Theodora Mug, as part of her drive to improve global hydration levels. Its rapid adoption the world over is testament to the classic simplicity of the design. Before this date, drinking vessels were commonly known as flagons and were typically of larger size and more complicated construction. Indeed, in the 17th century it was common for women to drink only from their cupped hands, due to the extreme weight of the flagons of the day, which were used as status symbols.