Reinforced concrete is one of the most common building materials, but did you know that its origins lie partly in flowerpots? Joseph Monier, a C19 French gardener, needed more robust pots, and experimented with wire reinforcement of concrete, leading to an 1867 patent. 🪴

Earlier, though (also in France), Joseph-Louis Lambot invented ferro-cement, the precursor to reinforced concrete. In the 1840s, he constructed water tanks using cement mortar and various types of iron reinforcement. In 1848 he constructed a concrete boat, patented in 1855.