Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT SELFIE STICKS
Did you know selfie sticks are banned in many locations, have contributed to deaths and were actually invented in the 1980’s? Get ready for some seriously shocking facts about the famous selfie stick!
Around 6 years ago, I was at a dinner party when I noticed someone taking photos of herself at the table. I remember thinking it was odd and not to mention a little embarrassing. Why wouldn’t she just ask one of the many people (most of which were her friends) to take the photo for her? And perhaps even stranger, why’d she want to be in a picture all by herself anyway?
Fast forward to the present day and I don’t even bat a lash when I see people taking selfies—heck I’ve been known to take a few myself. Selfies have become so commonplace that selfie sticks are now a completely normal hunk of plastic people cart around and use like no big deal. It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t own a selfie stick, let alone take an occasional selfie.
Despite how much you think you know about selfies and the selfie stick… think again. Here are some of the most shocking facts about this odd invention.
1. The First “Selfie Stick” Was Invented In the 1980’s
Long before anyone was taking selfies, photographer Hiroshi Ueda invented the first version of a selfie stick. His “extender stick” was invented while on vacation in Europe after he asked a child to take a photo of his family and the child ran off with his camera.
His version was far more complex than the modern selfie stick. It had a built in tripod mount and small camera that allowed you to see what you were taking photos of. Remember, this is going back before cameras came standard with screens. He got a patent on the product in 1983 but the idea didn’t stick. Apparently, women were among the most embarrassed to use it.
2. The Real Inventor of Selfie Sticks Got Gypped
Wayne Fromm invented the modern selfie stick in the early 2000’s, but after spending loads of money on patents he eventually decided to only patent the product in the US and Canada. Since the majority of selfie sticks are manufactured in China, Fromm doesn’t get any royalties from a product he invented and others straight copied. Want to give him the credit he deserves? Purchase his selfie stick called the Quick Pod.
3. Selfie Sticks Kill More People Than Sharks
Yes, you heard right, people have actually been killed by selfie sticks. Or rather, killed while using them irresponsibly. More people died from selfie sticks last year than from shark attacks.
12 people have died as a result of trying to score that perfect pic. Some of these catastrophic deaths included running in front of trains or into the Running of the Bulls with selfie stick in hand. Instead of scoring an awesome pic, these poor individuals died.
4. 2014 Was The Year Of The Selfie
In 2014, the selfie stick appeared in the New York Times, on the Time’s list of 25 best inventions and stores sold out of them left and right. Did we mention they were the most popular Christmas gift of 2014? Don’t lie; you know you bought someone one!
5. Disneyland Banned Selfie Sticks in 2015
Just one year after the ‘year of the selfie’ all Disneyland parks made the decision to ban selfie sticks entirely. At first Disney allowed them in the park but not on rides, but shortly thereafter they banned them all together. That’s because people were using them on rides anyways, presenting a safety hazard that caused one too many rides to be temporarily shut down.
They aren’t the only ones… Six Flags has since banned selfie sticks as well. So too have certain music festivals such as Coachella and Lollapolooza. Even Apple banned selfie sticks at last summer’s developer conference.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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