1930: The Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. sends out its first shipment of an amazing new waterproof, transparent product that the company thinks may "have large possibilities." It's called Scotch Tape (supposedly from the stinginess with which the company first coated the surface with a small amount of adhesive). It's a rapid success as, in the depths of the Depression, penny-pinching Americans use it as a cheap tool for everything from resealing food cans to helping torn fingernails heal.

1916: Your money and your life! The U.S. Congress enacts the Revenue Act of 1916, creating the federal estate tax.