Get A Grip

I have never used tire chains but I can only imagine that it must do nothing for the riding comfort of the driver. Obviously they go a long way in keeping trucks on the road, which is great for the rest of us. My question, is who thought of this? It seems like a really good idea, but why didn't somebody marked spiked tires and make a ton of money before drivers started slapping whatever they could find in their tool box onto their tires. It seems that whatever idea gets proposed first generally sticks regardless of cost or time effectiveness. Somebody missed an opportunity there.