### March 11 It's a little known fact that March 11 has been the birthplace of some of the most incredibly pointless inventions ever. For instance, did you know that on this day in 1824, someone thought it would be a really good idea to invent an umbrella made entirely out of _butter_? Just what were they thinking?! And let's not forget about the ill-conceived invention of the world's first __reverse-hiking boot__! On paper, it seemed like it would make sense to have a boot that helped you climb _down_ mountains instead of up them. But in practice, it just ended up being an incredibly dangerous item that resulted in more than its fair share of sprained ankles and broken fingers. But perhaps the silliest invention of all to come out of March 11 is the __shoe telephone__. This bizarre contraption was supposed to let busy people talk on the phone while walking down the street, but all it really managed to do was produce terrible quality audio and some pretty ridiculous looks from bystanders. Yes, it seems like March 11 has been the setting for some of the craziest, most pointless inventions in history. So the next time you see something you think is kind of silly, just remember that it could have been invented on March 11.