The French have ideas!

When was the last time you asked yourself about the origin of things? Well, in this article you will!
I’m sure you know that the French are famous for their cuisine, their sense of fashion, and of course, their romantic spirit. But did you know they are also behind some incredible inventions? Let’s dive into some of the most important ones!

It is the year 1704, and you need to leave the house. It’s raining. You’d like to take a parapluie so you won’t get wet, but… they didn’t exist yet! You’ll just have to wait one more year until they first appear.

Now, imagine it’s 1850, and you’d love to enjoy a sunny summer day riding your bike around Paris. Well, you couldn’t, not yet! It wasn’t until 1860 that Pierre Michaud, a Parisian locksmith, developed the pedal system that made modern bicycles possible.

And what would a French party be without champagne? Before 1688, celebrations weren’t nearly as sparkling. That was the year a Benedictine monk named Dom Pérignon applied the methods used for sparkling wines in Limoux to the wines of the Champagne region. The result? The world’s most iconic celebratory drink.

The French can also brag about inventing the pressure cooker (1679), the parachute (1797), the stethoscope (1816), bleach (1820), matches (1831), medical bandages (1870), and even the modern bra (1889).

More recently, and less fun, the parking meter was designed in Besançon in 1972. Just four years later, President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing coined the famous slogan during a spike in oil prices, a phrase that still rings true today: “We don’t have oil in France, but we do have ideas!”