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The Invention of Blinking Is Stranger Than You Think
Controversy, contentious research, and military genius
You wouldn’t think there would be much to say about the history of blinking, but you’d be wrong. When I noticed the Google question, “Who invented blinking?” I nervously glanced around for hidden cameras. I thought it was a joke. Then I looked deeper into the question.
I quickly realized that the invention of blinking is much stranger than I ever imagined. Welcome, readers, to the bizarre and contentious history of blinking.
Optional challenge: Try not to blink while you read this article.
Google Says Blinking Was Invented in 1638
If you ask Google when blinking was invented, you’ll get a bunch of websites and forums claiming that Richard Blink invented blinking in 1638 when he reportedly (and hilariously) tried to wink twice.
Of course, that’s all made-up history.
No one invented blinking. Or, you could say that the first creatures that roamed the earth invented blinking. You could even say that prehistoric humans invented blinking.
If you believe the Bible, Adam and Eve probably blinked a time or two in the Garden of Eden. If you believe in other variations of history or ancient mythology, then some other god or alien somewhere invented blinking.
Blinking as a semi-automatic body function was “invented” the moment any human or other being first developed the capability to blink.
We don’t know the exact year but we do know it wasn’t 1638.
Then Again, Maybe Blinking Was Invented in 1896
According to 2008 research published in the journal of European Neurology, the blinking reflex was first described in 1896 by Walker Overend.
The opening paragraph of the research includes this juicy detail:
Historically, it was described by Overend in 1896 and soon afterwards by McCarthy and by Bekhterev who disputed its origins.
I don’t know about you but I want to hear more about this scholarly squabble. Unfortunately, the research article glosses…
