So you're strolling along a forest path, the summer sun streaking through the leaves as you soak it all in. The lush ferns, the babbling brook, and the half-submerged shopping cart. Ever wonder how shopping carts wind up in the middle of nowhere? Of course you have! Well, the story starts back in 1936, when a grocery store manager in Oklahoma City named Sylvan Goldman noticed that his customers would stop shopping as soon as they got tired of carrying around the heavy little baskets that were commonly supplied by stores at the time. Patrons were leaving his Piggly Wiggly store with only as much as they could carry, even though he knew they could afford to purchase more. A lot more. So to his credit, instead of screaming at them for being weak and wimpy and leaving too soon, Goldman decided a more profitable strategy would be to put little baskets on wheels. He was inspired one night by the design of a wooden folding chair. He put one basket on top of the chair, and another down below. Add some wheels to the legs, bolt it all together, and voila! Not one, but two shopping baskets ready to roll. The only problem was nobody rolled. Men were worried about looking silly (I mean they were already inside a store called Piggly Wiggly) and young mothers didn't like pushing around something that resembled a baby carriage. But Sylvan Goldman was one savvy guy. He secretly filled the store with attractive people pretending to shop using his cutting-edge contraption. When Goldman's customers walked in and saw everybody else using the new push baskets, they couldn't resist. Peer pressure wins again. By 1940, the carts became so popular that wider aisles were being built to accommodate them. After a few other folks made some design changes, hands all over the world were soon gripping a shopping cart (make sure you wipe off that handle). So the next time you find one in the middle of the woods, you can thank the bozo that stole it and ditched it in the woods- and Mr. Sylvan Goldman, who would be ever-so-proud to see you fishing it out and returning it to the store.

Illuminating Moments in American History
From the accidental invention of the microwave to the love story of rubber gloves, these 68 animated video shorts (shadow puppet style!) 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.