17 Awesome All-American Inventions for DIYers

WEBER GRILLS: BORN FROM A BUOY

The classic round Weber grill sort of looks like the bottom of a marine buoy. That’s because the first Weber grill was made from the bottom of a marine buoy! George Stephen Sr. worked at Weber Brothers Metal Works in Chicago, which made buoys for the coast guard. In 1952, George had a brilliant idea: He cut the bottom off one of the buoys and added a vent and handle to the top and three legs to the bottom. His neighbors laughed at his contraption at first, but soon wanted one of their own. And so did the rest of the world!