Amazing Things You Didn't Know Were Invented in Minnesota

We all know about iconic Minnesota inventions like SPAM, Scotch Tape, and Post-Its. But there are some surprises on this list that totally blew my mind - like the toaster!

Did you know that all of these groundbreaking inventions were created right here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes?

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Rollerblades

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At just 19 years old, Scott Olson from St. Louis Park discovered inline skates while playing junior hockey in Canada in 1979. Seeing their potential for off-season training, he improved the design with softer, faster wheels and an adjustable track for hockey skates. According to Fox 9 News, Olson later founded Rollerblade, combining roller skates and hockey blades.

Milky Way Candy Bar

Amazon

Who knew the Milky Way was invented in Minnesota? MinnPost says, Frank C. Mars, from Hancock, founded the Mar-O-Bar candy company in Minneapolis in 1920. Three years later, he introduced the Milky Way, the world’s first "filled" candy bar, inspired by a popular chocolate-malt milkshake.

Breathe Right Strips - helping marriages everywhere! ;)

Amazon

Bruce Johnson, a self-taught engineer who suffered from severe nasal congestion, found that two pieces of plastic affixed with an adhesive pad kept his nostrils open at night, and licensed the idea to CNS, the Minnesota medical equipment company that made the strips, according to Minnpost.

Nerf Ball

Amazon

Nerf, which stands for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam, was founded back in 1969 by Parker Brothers after Reyn Guyer, a Minnesota-based inventor approached the company. Reyn proposed to Nerf a safe indoor football game, according to Hatchwise.

Retractable Seat Belt

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James J. "Crash" Ryan, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota from 1931 to 1963, invented the automatic retractable lap safety belt and patented it in 1963, according to the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame.

Also See: 15 Common Things Amazon Won't Take Back

Snow Blower

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Toro introduced the first walk-behind snow blower, much to the relief of corner-lot homeowners and their cardiologists. - MinnPost.

13 Things You Never Knew That Were Invented in Minnesota

There are a handful of things that most Minnesotans know were invented in the state, like SPAM or Post-It notes, but did you know grocery bags with handles is a Minnesota invention? Let's take a look at some other little known Minnesota inventions.

Gallery Credit: Tony Hart

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LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don't exist anymore

The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.

Gallery Credit: Stacey Marcus