 Innovation is a buzzword today, but innovators have been at work ever since. Today, I'll take you more than 100 years back in history to tell you about two innovative ideas that were truly out of box. These ideas pertain to the tire. How tire change itself and how tires help revolutionize another industry that is totally unrelated. All vehicle tires are black. Yes, it's a common knowledge. But have you ever thought, if tires are made out of rubber, shouldn't they be white? After all, that sappy liquid that oozes out from the rubber tree is white. Well, for the starters, let me tell you, the first rubber tires that were made for cars in 1890s were indeed white. But in 1910, B.F. Goodrich, the founder of a tire brand back then, changed the game forever. He picked up a substance called carbon black and mixed it with rubber during the tire manufacturing process. Carbon black was a byproduct of burning crude oil at a particular temperature. The mix of carbon black and rubber resulted in black tire that we have been using since then. There was no aesthetic reason behind this little addition, nor was it supposed to color coordinate the tires with the roads that were black in color. The reason was entirely different. Goodrich actually realized that the precious carbon black could be a revolutionary breakthrough in tire technology. It was quite brilliant at absorbing light and heat. That meant it could prevent damage from UV rays and it would even take away the heat from the other parts of the car such as tire belt area. It could provide more strength to the tire and prevent wear and tear. So, basically making tires much more durable. The fact is that a tire without carbon black runs only for 8000 kilometers, approximately. But the tires with the carbon black infusion can easily survive for nearly 50,000 kilometers. And there was nothing more vital for the tire industry back then and even today. Now, let's move on to another tire saga. If you were a foodie or a big fan of popular food shows, then you must be aware of the term Michelin star. For the benefit of those who are not that much into food, let me tell you what it is. A Michelin star is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding food. While awarding Michelin star to a restaurant, they take into account the quality of the ingredients, flavors, mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and consistency across the entire menu over time. Now, how do restaurants get Michelin stars? How Michelin star ratings came into being? Well, its origin traces back to the turn of 20th century and was inspired by surprising turn of events that have very little to do with cuisine. Interestingly, the invention of the Michelin star rating coincides with the invention of automobile itself. The first Michelin guide was compiled in 1900 by the founders of Michelin tires, the French industrialist brothers André and Edward Michelin. The aim of the guide was to create a demand for automobiles and in turn Michelin tires. Michelin brothers thought that if they want to sell more tires, people will have to buy more cars. Those days, eating out was catching up and people were exploring restaurants and cuisine they offered. They were limited means of mobility, so all this was happening in localized area only. People were not moving out. They were not travelling just for the sake of food. Michelin brothers printed a Michelin guide that had the list of hotels, mechanics and gas stations along the popular routes in France. They added a section of restaurants, local as well as far away ones, and urged people to drive out to these places and try the cuisine. Since there were only a few hundred cars in all of France, the guide was given away for free in hope of creating demand for cars. Within its first decade of existence, the Michelin guide expanded rapidly and became available throughout Europe as well as Northern Africa. Although guide contained valuable information about restaurants, the ultimate goal for the Michelin brothers was to generate sales and profit for their entire business. In the 1920s, automobiles became more common and people didn't need to be educated on how to handle mechanical issues, changing tires and all other such things. So, the brothers decided to increase the food section that had grown in popularity. They had the foresight to encash the customer focus and use it for their expansion plans. They went on to appoint full-time food inspectors and food critics to review restaurants and rate the cuisine and service anonymously. The company has retained this philosophy to this date. Only the best restaurants get featured in this guide. To make these restaurants more exclusive, they started ranking them in awarding stars. Michelin stars. With this brilliant marketing move, the Michelin brothers managed to successfully dovetail this strategy to meet their end objective, make people travel more and then be a part of their journey, thereby meeting business goals.