Flies. Constantly buzzing around, getting in your face, spreading filth and disease. Oh they're in a class by themselves when it comes to irritating and disgusting all rolled into one (forget about politicians for a minute). And while people have spent millennia shooing away flies, gnats, and other annoying insects, it wasn't until the 20th century that mankind really gained the upper hand. A patent was issued in 1900 for what was basically the first flyswatter, but it wasn't called that, and it wasn't wildly popular. But then came the fly-filled summer of 1905, when Samuel Jay Crumbine, the Kansas Secretary of Public Health declared war on the winged plague. He published a fancy new Fly Bulletin that provided lots of warnings about their disgustingness. But it wasn't exactly a bestseller. Until, that is, one night at the ballpark when Dr. Crumbine heard an excited fan yell, “Did you see him swat that fly?” That was it! “Swat that fly” became his pest control slogan, along with “Screens are cheaper than doctor bills,” and not long after, window screens were being installed all over Kansas. But leave it to a Boy Scout troop to come up with a super-practical way to put an end to the pestilence by nailing leftover window screen squares to the end of yardsticks. Their “Fly Bat” was fast, effective, and cheaper than the patented fly killers already on the market. When troop leader Frank Rose showed Dr. Crumbine this simple device, it was quickly renamed, and “flyswatter” became a household word.

Illuminating Moments in American History
From the accidental invention of the microwave to the love story of rubber gloves, these 68 shorts chronicle the history of unexpected American innovation.

Produced, written, and directed by Nathan Marsh. Art and Animation by Joel West and Isaac Windham. Sound by Scott Sprague. Narration by Carol Munse.