In history, there are many cases where people underestimated their opportunities and talent, sold their own work for a mere penny. Let's find out what the real injustice looks like.
Many often repeat that life is an unfair thing, and some situations do confirm this. Here, for example, the stories of people who sold their ideas for pennies, wanting quick profits. As a result, they brought a huge fortune to the new owners. The selection below teaches that you should not doubt yourself and rush, and perhaps luck will smile.
1. Success for the dollar
Few people know that the script of the famous "Terminator", written by James Cameron, did not initially like anyone. No one in Hollywood believed the beginning director and his story. Gale Anna Hurd of New World Pictures agreed to the shooting and offered to become a Cameron director, but only with one condition - all the rights to the picture he will sell her for a dollar. The proposal is more like a joke, but James Cameron agreed, and the success of "Terminator" made him one of the most famous and well-paid filmmakers around the world.
2. Invaluable poem
Suddenly, well-known authors sold their masterpieces for pennies. For example, Edgar Po, wrote a poem "The Crow" and wanted to be published in a friend's magazine, but eventually was refused. Apparently, he thought that the product was mediocre, so he sold it for $ 9 The American Review. As a result, the poem spread around the world, and in 2009 one of the copies of the first book with a poem was sold for a huge amount - $ 662.5 thousand. Edgar Po did not receive any profit for his masterpiece and lived in poverty.
3. Zero profit from sales
Another writer who was invaluable in life - Jack London. In 1903 he first published the novel The Call of the Ancestors in the journal The Evening Post. For non-exclusive rights, the author was paid $ 750. In the same year, London decided to sell the full rights of Macmillan Publishers for $ 2 thousand. As a result, by 1964, 6 million copies of the "Call of the Ancestors" were sold, for which neither London nor its descendants received a penny.
4. Randomness is not accidental
Jelly, with the preparation of which even children will cope, was invented by a couple from New York, engaged in the production of cough syrup, in 1895. Pearl and Mae White, through experiments, came up with a delicious product consisting of gelatin and sugar. They also invented the name "jelly". In addition, they bought a patent for powdered gelatin from Peter Cooper and started their mini-production. Unfortunately, the sales of the new product were bad, so a few years later the couple sold the patent for the jelly to their neighbor for only $ 450. As a result, the dessert brought a profit of hundreds of millions.
5. Unvalued fidelity of the fan
In 1982, the company Marvel Comics among fans of Spider-Man announced a contest for the best idea for a new suit for the main character. Among all the works was a black suit, offered by a fan of Illinois Randy Schueller. The editor-in-chief Marvel paid the guy for his $ 220 idea. The presentation of the new costume took place in 1984, and in 2007 the picture "Spiderman: Enemy in Reflection" collected about $ 900 million.
6. The ingenious invention to pay off a debt
Many use pins in everyday life, but it was invented quite by accident and under interesting circumstances. Well-known mechanic Walter Hunt had to return a debt to the friend of only $ 15. After a little thought, he created an English pin, the patent for which was sold for $ 400 to WR Grace, which eventually earned millions.
7. The only sale of the famous artist
The works of many artists are now sold for millions, and during their lifetime they lived in poverty. An example is the genius Van Gogh, who alone sold only one of his work - "Red Vineyards in Arles". The transaction occurred in 1890 and the buyer was an artist from Belgium, Anna Bosch, who paid for the painting 400 francs (for today $ 1600). In 1906, the girl sold the work of a famous artist for 10 thousand francs (now $ 9,900). Today, the paintings of Wang Gog stand tens of millions.
8. Dishonest payment for a famous track
The melody, by which everyone will learn the film about James Bond, was written in 1962 by Monti Norman. The result did not quite like the film company, and then she attracted the work of composer John Barry, who added to the melody elements of rock and jazz. Adjustments led to the creation of the famous hit. The payment for the work done was unfair, as Monty paid $ 1 million, and John Barry only $ 700.
9. Cover, which became a masterpiece
All covers of the albums of the legendary band The Beatles deserve attention, but the collage of the eighth studio album looks especially interesting. It was developed by British artist Peter Blake and his wife. For the work done, the couple received $ 280. For all the sales time, approximately 32 million copies were sold around the world, which broke all records. Any percentage of sales developers did not receive the cover.
10. Unjustified barter
Many housewives love to experiment in the kitchen, changing recipes and adding some new ingredients. So did the American inventor Ruth Wakefield, who during the preparation of classic cookies decided to add to the dough pieces of chopped chocolate Nestle. The treat turned out to be very tasty and popular, which encouraged Nestle to take over the rights to the invention, and it did not cost them a cent, because Ruth simply asked for a lifetime supply of chocolate. The inventor is clearly a sweet tooth.