This week, Meredith and Cassandra chat about the winter inventions that helped us survive the cold - from the classic hand muff to heaters, ice scrapers, remote starts, and shovels. It’s a quick, fun look at how these cold-weather creations came to be. omehow bed bugs made their way into the conversation, too. We give a shout-out to one of our #1 fans, Shannon, and Meredith love Lauren Conrad clothes at Kohl's.

Info from this episode:

🔥 Fireplace (a.k.a. Early Heating System)

• ~500,000 BCE
• Inventor: Early humans (Homo erectus)
• Fireplaces became structured “hearths” in ancient Greece & Rome.

☕ Thermos (Vacuum Flask)

• 1892
• Inventor: Sir James Dewar (Scottish chemist)

🧶 Wool Clothing (Mittens/Scarves/Socks)

• ~3000 BCE (first wool garments in Mesopotamia)
• Inventors: Ancient Mesopotamians

🔧 Snow Shovel

• Dated back to ~1000 BCE, first used by indigenous Arctic peoples
• Modern aluminum snow shovel patented in 1889 by Joseph Flanders

🚗 Remote Car Starter

• 1980s
• Inventor: First commercialized by M. Frank Verducci, founder of Autostart

❄️ Ice Scraper

• 1910–1920s (early automobile era)
• Inventor: Unknown — evolved as cars became popular in snowy regions

📦 Insulated Delivery Bags (Pizza Bags)

• 1983
• Inventor: Ingrid Kosar (founder of Thermal Bags by Ingrid)

👢 Waterproof Winter Boots

• 1950s modern rubber-and-insulation design
• Inventor: The boot company Sorel (founded by Kaufman Footwear) popularized them

🧥 Heated Jackets

• 2001
• Inventor: Milwaukee Tool’s heated gear division eventually commercialized the tech

🔌 Space Heater (Electric Heater)

• 1890s
• Inventor: Albert Leroy Marsh pioneered the high-resistance alloy “nichrome” in 1905, leading to modern heaters

🧣 Infinity Scarf

• 1970s–80s, became mainstream in the early 2010s
• Inventor: No single inventor — fashion industry evolution

🌬️ Snowblower (Snow Thrower)

• 1925
• Inventor: Arthur Sicard, a Canadian dairy farmer

⛽ Heated Gas Pump Handles

• 2000s
• Inventor: First implemented by certain Midwest gas station chains — not patented by a single inventor

🧊 Windshield Wiper De-Icers

• 1936 first patent for heated wipers
• Inventor: Joseph Karasik

🚪 Heated Store Entrances (Air Curtains)

• 1910s
• Inventor: Olaf Bergh (Norwegian engineer) patented early air-curtain systems

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