The Best Utensil of All Time Was Invented in Rhode Island

It amazes me how little of a state Rhode Island is but how many big ideas it produces.

I was today years old when I found out that the spork in Newport, Rhode Island, by a gentleman named Dr. Samuel W. Francis.

I'm pretty sure the only time I've used a spork in my life was when ordering that creamy mac and cheese from Kentucky Fried Chicken. It also came in clutch with those popcorn chicken bowls.

A spork is half spoon and half fork, which allows you to latch onto a solid while scooping.

If you look closely at the original patent blueprint of the spork, you'll notice the esteemed inventor included a sharp side to indicate a knife was in the plans. The perfect trifecta: a spoon, fork and knife combination to make life easier.

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Francis was a man with a mysterious mind and a knack for inventing. Although the spork is by far his most recognizable product, he also played a role in inventing a rubber-bristled toothbrush, a postage-canceling device, glass gloves filled with medical fluids to help with burns, pre-made tea and a self-lighting matchbox.

Nothing Francies thought up will ever come close to the spork, but an A+ for persistence.

Now cue the "More You Know" shooting star, because I learned a lot today.