Mom asks Daniel how the tea bag was invented.

He says some British person, very carefully, with a lot of thought about the perfect cup of tea.

He is wrong on almost every count.

It was a New York merchant. In 1908. By complete accident.

Thomas Sullivan was trying to save money on sending tea samples to his customers. Instead of metal tins, he packaged small amounts of tea in little silk pouches tied with thread. His plan was for customers to open the pouch, empty the tea into a pot, and brew it properly. He never told them that. And his customers -- looking at a small silk bag full of tea -- simply dunked the whole thing into hot water.

The silk was fine enough that water got through. The tea brewed. His customers loved it. When they reordered, they specifically asked for the bags. Sullivan realised what had happened ...