It is not uncommon in this world for people to be underappreciated or even ridiculed for their work because they were ahead of their time. Nicolaus Copernicus was mocked for his theory that the universe was heliocentric. Jackson Polluck's art was only revered posthumously.
This is true for many things, including inventions, movies, video games, and even restaurants.
Redditors know this all too well. They have identified what things failed when they were initially released but turned out to be ahead of its time, and are eager to share.
It all started when Redditor kingpin000 asked:
"What failed when it was initially released, but turned out to be ahead of its time years later?"
Dual Uses
"Viagra. Fascinating history. It was developed as a blood pressure medicine in the 80s. The bonerific side effect was “embarrassing” and “unwanted” in the 80s, but desired a decade or so later when sex became less taboo."
"So, it failed as a mainstream blood pressure pill, but succeeded as a boner pill."
– Myzyri
"It's actually used as a blood pressure medication still, but it's for the more rare Pulmonary Hypertension."
– Blueshark25
That's Why They're Called Sticky Notes
"The glue that became part of Post-Its. The guy who invented them was trying to create a stronger glue for the aerospace industry, but the adhesive he created was a weak adhesive. Years later one of his colleagues used that adhesive to create a bookmark that didn't fall out of the book he was reading. Eventually, that idea became Post-Its."
– mom_with_an_attitude
"If I recall the story correctly, it was a hymn book which had delicate pages."
"The Post-Its adhesive worked great on it by not ripping or ruining the pages."
– teems
Pre-Spotify
"I always feel like the Zune and their music model was ahead of its time. 10 dollars month for unlimited downloads while at the time you were paying 1 dollar per single. Now everyone just uses Spotify for the same thing."
– sausagepizza
"You also got to keep 10 of the songs you downloaded at the end of each month. It was essentially paying for 10 songs with as free streaming on top."
– evanzknigh39
If Only They Waited
"Touch screens."
"Yes they are everywhere now but the Buicks 1986 model had one, and most cars today have it."
"Hell, the concept was developed in 1965!!!"
– BotherDesperate7169
"Microsoft pushed a tablet computer about 5 years or so before the iPad got released. It failed miserably and they quickly gave up on the idea."
– saugoof
Almost, But Not Quite
"Vine. They were almost TikTok, but weren’t."
– Gauzey
"I don’t understand why Vine died and Tik Tok lives?"
– kapt_so_krunchy
"Because Vine was ahead of its time."
– MrBoomf
The Big Screen
"The movie Blade Runner."
– Agreeable_Pizza93
"Shawshank flopped in the theaters. It's a classic because TNT began airing it because it was cheap. Boys grew up watching Shawshank. Now it's one of IMDb ten greatest films."
"We can also look at It's a Wonderful Life."
– Econoj
"I've said it on here before somewhere. But The Thing went from being an absolute critical bomb at the time... to being one of the most lauded (and rightfully so) horror sci films ever created now. Specific tastes aside, anyone who enjoys horror probably has The Thing in their top 10."
– 10019245
Can't Believe This Flopped
"Bluetooth was released with a huge fanfare and then fizzled for a few years before it really took off."
– FearlessTomatillo911
"This should be a huge one! It flopped on the market for a long time before someone figured out how to use it correctly and now it’s a staple for electronics."
– ballnout
Just When He Got Rid Of It...
"Debit cards. My dad got one in the 70’s when they were a new idea and nobody seemed to understand them and didn’t take them. He finally got rid of his. Now……"
– sas5814
My Favorite Childhood Toy
"Slime (silly putty). originally, it was an attempt to replace rubber during WW2."
– pupunhaLover
Vroom, Vroom
"Electric car."
"German engineer Andreas Flocken built the first real electric car in 1888. The first electric car in the United States was developed in 1890–91 by William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa; the vehicle was a six-passenger wagon capable of reaching a speed of 23 km/h (14 mph)."
– george_sg
What Might've Been
"Google Glass the biggest argument against it was ppl being so angry about the wearers filming them. Here we are 10+ years later and everyone films everything everywhere they go. And we have ppl wearing GoPros and other klunky cameras all the time."
"The Google Glass offered AR, filming, assistant functionally, map and web access all in an easy to wear and use piece of tech that was also super cool and futuristic. I think if it had taken off we would have even more advanced models now. It was just WAY too ahead of it's time for widespread adoption. I think it would be wildly popular now."
– JubalHarshawII
For Man's Best Friend
"Pets.com. Everyone laughed at the idea after the tech bubble burst. Chewy.com is worth $10B today."
– Bishop_Pickerling
"If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that animal lovers will drop some serious cash."
– FunAdministration334
Shut Up And Drive
"The Sinclair C5 electric vehicle. Complete flop in 1985, but now a thriving hobby as many people are upgrading them with modern batteries, motors, disc brakes, etc. So much fun to drive."
– TheKingOfDub
"Sinclair C5."
"Can't help but feel had it been succesful, the following iterations would be superior to the e-bikes we have now."
– SmeeegHeead
Eye Of The Beholder
"Van Gogh's paintings. Amy Pond from Doctor Who knew how good he was, but none of Vincent's contemporaries did, and he eventually died by his own hand."
– tunghoy
Poor Van Gogh. He's my favorite artist!
I'm glad he's appreciated now, even if he wasn't in his own time.
(And this is exactly why Doctor Who's Amy Pond was my favorite companion!)
Judge Judy Eye Roll GIF
@elonmusk/X
Loop Home GIF by Homepoet.de
Solar Energy GIF by Nexamp
Shave Shaving GIF by Shawn Mendes
The Sandlot Wow GIF