5. Band-Aid
There are a few brands that exceed the popularity of the product itself. Nobody goes to the store looking for a bandage strip. They want to pick up Band-Aids. The original Band-Aid was invented by New Jersey company Johnson & Johnson in Highland Park more than 100 years ago. The first version of the product wasn't very popular, but once J&J used machines to make them in bulk, it grew in popularity. Now, we're looking at a product that's sold more than 100 billion pieces worldwide.
4. Football Rivalries
The first recognized game of American football was between Princeton and Rutgers, two New Jersey institutions, in 1869. Rutgers won the game 6-4, but those winning ways didn't last. The game was played in New Brunswick near the Rutgers campus. While we don't actually think this was the first ever game of organized football, we do think this was the start of football rivalries. Rutgers and Princeton would continue to play every year, and they eventually added Yale and Brown University to their seasons.
3. The Sopranos
The television is considered one of the great inventions of our time. Creating a device where communications and entertainment can be delivered to households nightly changed the world. And the greatest piece of media on said televisions was that of the HBO series The Sopranos. The James Gandolfini-led series followed a New Jersey mob boss through his exploits across the state. The series was very authentic, shooting in locations across New Jersey.
2. Air Conditioning
We are on the cusp of summer months in New Jersey, and it can get hot here. Thankfully, Willis Carrier created what would become the modern air conditioner. Instead of a system of manipulated air, which is how humans stayed cool for hundreds of years, this was a machine that would bring the air anywhere. Carrier came up with he idea in New York, but the actual units were first built and delivered in a Newark facility in the early 1900s.
1. Light Bulb
It had to end with one of Thomas Edison's 1,000+ patents that he had in his lifetime. The greatest representation of New Jersey innovation changed the world when he created the light bulb. Possibly the world's greatest invention, the light bulb changed how the world got light to their world. While others have a claim to the first light bulb, Edison's version from 1879. The filament connecting to the system that brought consistent light is what changed the world.