Tag: second best
Catherine Littlefield Greene
A Rhode Island aristocrat who became a widowed plantation owner in the Reconstruction Era South may have been more instrumental to the invention of the cotton gin than Eli Whitney.
Marion Mahony Griffin
Frank Lloyd Wright cultivated a mystique of solitary inspiration, ensuring that his accomplishments were regarded as the works of one man’s towering genius. The draftsman who was critical in visualizing much of his early work was a genius in her own right.
Hydrox
In a cautionary tale for all of today’s artisanal food-makers, a small bakery sees its innovative new cookie concept copied by a much larger rival. Losing market share is bad enough but being transformed in the public imagination from original to knockoff may sting even more.
Harold Lloyd
In the 1920’s, Harold Lloyd’s silent film stardom outshone Charlie Chaplins. Today, we remember The Little Tramp while The Glasses Character is a cinephile’s trivia question answer.
Avis
An upstart gains initial traction by exploiting an underserved niche and, years later, nearly unseats the incumbent through a revolutionary ad campaign.
Willie Mosconi
A man without peer in the “Noble Game of Billiards” could not compare with his huckster rival in the game of “pool” played out in the barrooms and basements of post-war America.
Helvetica
In a case of collateral damage during the early PC wars, a revolutionary font, alternately loved and hated, is overtaken on the web by an inferior copycat.
BIC
A reclusive genius who had pioneered the mass production of pens couldn’t topple his rivals at Gillette, the company closest to an American man’s heart (and face).
The Buffalo Bills
The four-time Super Bowl losers are enduring reminders that hard work plus talent plus time is still no guarantee of success.
Mothra
Did a lepidopteran girl-monster like Mothra ever have a chance against a reptilian guy monster like Godzilla? In the skies over Tokyo, yes. In the teenage brains of testosterone-addled mid-century monster movie fans. Not a chance.
The Also-Rans 