Inventions usually make a big difference to people’s lives. Do you have any great inventions at home? Do they help you a lot in your life or bring you much fun? Here are some of the most useful inventions in families according to a survey.

You don’t have to be old to be an inventor. Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle when he was just eleven years old. One winter day in 1905, after a day of play, he left his drink outside with the stir stick (搅拌棒), he found his drink was frozen like an icicle (冰柱). Frank tasted it and found it was delicious. And it became a hit with his friends.

When he grew up, Frank Epperson sold land and houses for a living. By 1921 he had to make a living for his wife and five children. But Frank never forgot the frozen treat (冰品) that he had discovered. He decided to continue with it. He soon started a business—selling the frozen treats in seven flavours (口味). He named the ice on a stick “Epsicle”. His children didn’t think that was a very good name. They called the frozen treat “Pop’s sicle”. The name was later changed to “Popsicle”. In 1924 Frank got a patent (专利) for his frozen treat.

During the late 1920s and the 1930s, the United States went through hard times. Many people lost their jobs. Twin ice pops (双棒棒冰) with two sticks were invented. They were just five cents and two children could share them.

Today millions of Popsicles are sold every year. They come in thirty flavours. The most popular flavour is cherry. Now whenever we enjoy ice pops in summer, we have Frank Epperson to thank.

Are you learning another language? Maybe you’re trying to learn it for study or work, or maybe you’re trying to learn it just for fun. Language learning is nothing new, of course, but technology has made it easier than ever.

Language-learning apps have become popular around the world. They are usually easy and convenient to use, because you can get them on your phone. And they can offer some languages that are spoken by few people in the world. Maybe you can’t learn those languages in evening classes, schools or universities.

Many of us are hoping to be bilingual (会说双语的) so that we can communicate with people from other countries. But, maybe surprisingly, the British are leading the way in the growth of these apps. According to the US language-learning app Duolingo, in 2022 the number of new users in the world was up by 67% compared with 2021, while in the UK it grew very quickly by 132%. And another language-learning app Busuu in London showed the same trend.

But for people who want to learn a new language, what keeps them learning when there isn’t a teacher around? Colin Watkins from Duolingo said, “For the UK learners at least, people are learning because of culture, family, jobs and travel. Everyone wants a good use of time, and we want to do something meaningful on our phone.”

Certainly, becoming bilingual or a person who speaks many languages is a good thing forself-improvement. And it also helps us to bring the world a little closer together.