Business Insider lists their most famous invention for Minnesota as rollerblades.

There is a listing for the mof famous inventions for each state and Minnesota has so much to choose from it's hard to believe that was the best choice.

Don't you think some of these might be a better representative of Minnesota's most famous invention?

From left: Kelly and Rick Dale, Peg Keilen and Tammy Schluter sit in the Tilt-a-Whirl car. Rick Dale of "American Restoration" restored. Gordy Kosfeld / Townsquare Media
From left: Kelly and Rick Dale, Peg Keilen and Tammy Schluter sit in the Tilt-a-Whirl car. Rick Dale of "American Restoration" restored. Photo by Gordy Kosfeld 2015
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  • Water skis got their start in 1922 when Ralph Samuelson used a pair of boards and clothesline as a tow rope on Lake Pepin in Lake City. Minnesota.
  • Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota was the first fully enclosed, climate controlled shopping mall in the United States opening in 1956.
  • Herb Sellner of Faribault, Minnesota invented the Tilt-A-Whirl ride in 1926 in his home and eventually started Sellner Manufacturing which would produce many rides.
  • The Nerf ball was dubbed "the first indoor ball" by Parker Brothers and was invented by Minnesotan Reyn Guyer who also invented the Twister board game.  Former Minnesota Viking kicker Fred Cox is credited with inventing the Nerf Football sold beginning in 1972.
  • Sticky or Post-it Notes were introduced to the public in 1980 by Minnesota based 3M Company.  Spencer Silver and Art Fry are in the Inventors Hall of Fame because of it.  In 1968 Silver came up with the adhesive glue.  In 1974 Fry had the idea of using a sticky piece of paper as a bookmark in his hymnal while singing in the church choir.  Talk about a divine idea?
  • H. David Dahlquist of Edina, Minnesota was the creator of the aluminum Bundt pan in 1950.
  • Richard Drew was a college dropout and started working for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M Company) in 1920.  He invented masking tape in 1925 and Scotch tape in 1930.
  • The pop-up toaster was invented by Minnesota mechanic Charles Strite in 1919 and hit the market in 1921.
  • Black Box Flight Data Recorder was developed by Minnesota based General Mills in conjunction with the University of Minnesota in 1953.
  • Earl Bakken the founder of Medtronic came up with the first Pacemaker in his garage in 1957.

I could go on for a long time here folks. There are 293 patents listed for people in Faribault, Minnesota alone.

Thanks to Susan Garwood of the Rice County Historical Society for noting some of these listed below.

  • Fredolin Schimmel (yes of Schimmel Piano fame) patented a wood cutting device used in making the pianos (which were by the way made in the building where KDHL Radio is now located).  It was called the Shear-Cut Cutter Head.  He also patented a combination table and writing desk in 1924 that became popular.
  • Herb Sellner the inventor of the Tilt-A-Whirl also had a patent for the first water slide.
  • Clarence Purdie of Gopher Shooter Supply/Bonanza had a number of patents and one of them in 1967 was for a cartridge case resizing bullet seating apparatus to assist in making guns more accurate.
  • Seth Humphrey of Humphrey Manlift helped perfect the passenger elevator with a patent in 1887.
  • Dennis Hogan had a patent in 1924 for a child's teething ring.
  • Fred Kiekenapp came up with the idea for supplemental pockets for pool tables and got his patent in 1883.

My personal favorite invention by a Faribault, Minnesotan comes from Albert A. Winkley who lost his left leg in a mowing accident at the age of 11 in 1868.

There were no artificial limbs in those days so at the age of 28 he made and patented the Slip Socket Leg which brought relief to people all over the world.

He started the Winkley Leg Company in the Twin Cities in 1888 and sold the business in 1891 to return to Faribault and purchase a Livery stable which he ran until his death in 1918.

Winkley Orthotics and Prosthetics is still in business today.

Spam was the first canned ham in 1926.  Cheerios and Wheaties were invented in Minnesota.  Honeycrisp apples, Salted Nut Rolls and Pizza Rolls.

Which do you think is the most famous?

Albert Winkley Faribault Inventor of Artificial Leg. Photo from Winkley Company
Albert Winkley Faribault Inventor of Slip Socket Leg. Photo from Winkley Company
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