Inventors Who Made No Money From Their World-Changing Inventions But Worked For The Greater Good

Since writing this article on why you should create meaning beyond going to work and paying the bills, I did some research and found this article on BBC.com, of inventors who didn't get mega-rich from their inventions.

One of these inventors, Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio, said this about himself:

Most of us don't do it for the money but for the buzz. I know that at least I've left my mark with the radio, the wind-up torch and other things I've invented.
The article then mentioned that "he can no longer afford to live in his home in Twickenham, London, because despite millions of sales around the globe, the company he went into business with were able to tweak his design and he lost control over the product and profits."

Via BBC.com 

the meaning and definition of a greater good

History is full of inventors who risked their lives to make the world a better place. Stewart Adams, who headed the team that invented Ibuprofen, the anti-inflammatory painkiller that today is one of the most commonly used drugs of its kind, used himself as a test subject when the drug went into human trials. He said, "I always felt it was important to take the first dose”

Stewart Adams died on 30 January 2019, aged 95. He always tried out the drugs he developed on himself. He did not make a great fortune for himself, because he was developing these drugs for the company he worked for. Here's what he's quoted to have said about Ibuprofen in an interview with The Telegraph:

It's funny now, but over the years so many people have told me that ibuprofen really works for them — and did I know it was so good for hangovers? Of course I had to admit I did.
Via Legacy.com 

Did you do anything last year "for the greater good"? If not, what do you plan to do this year for the greater good?It doesn't have to be something "world-changing"... if you're selflessly doing  a great job for country, company or community, that counts as "greater good" IMHO.

You see, today some countries of the world are on the brink of disaster from the "corruption epidemic". Corruption IMHO is what happens when workers, especially public sector workers, abandon the "greater good" and instead work to satisfy their selfish interests.

But can you imagine where the world would be if everybody acted like that? If all these inventors of years past hadn't stopped to ask, "What can I contribute that will make the world a better place to live for my fellow human beings?"

And it's not just the inventors... you have to think of all those early explorers, missionaries, educators, doctors and nurses, and the Mother Theresa's of this world...

Here's what was said of Stewart Adams, that, "Not only did he have an amazing achievement with the invention of ibuprofen, but he was a genuinely nice guy."

We can be nice guys and gals, and still go on to record amazing achievements that positively
 impact the world beyond our families, or our clans!

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