There are other examples of this in history. A good one is the invention of the modern billiard ball. Balls were made from ivory and were very expensive, whic

There are other examples of this in history. A good one is the invention of the modern billiard ball. Balls were made from ivory and were very expensive, which prevented the mass popularity of the game. Michael Phelan put in an ad in the paper offering $10,000 (the equivalent of millions today) to anyone that could develop a substitute for ivory. The result was cellulose, which later begat Bakelite, a perfect substitute. http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-post-billiards-age/ http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-post-billiards-age...