The world's first webcam was set up to watch a coffee pot.
In 1991, researchers at the University of Cambridge computer lab pointed a camera at the coffee machine in the Trojan Room so they could check from their desks whether it was worth the walk. It went online for the whole world in 1993.
Why is this true?
The pot became an internet celebrity, with millions of views, before it was switched off in 2001. The machine was sold on eBay for about 3,350 pounds to a German magazine.
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More about inventions
Most inventions arrive by accident, in the wrong order, or decades before anyone finds a use for them. Microwaves, sticky notes, safety glass and vulcanised rubber all started as mistakes or side effects. The facts here trace how the thing actually came about, note who noticed the accident and why it mattered, and point at a source so you can follow the full story if it hooks you.