Inventions are often born out of necessities. But there are some inventions that are born out of accidents, and they are usually the ones that goes on changing the world forever. They are brought into this world by a happy accident but that mere invention makes life easier for so many people.
In this article, you will be shocked to know that so many things we can’t go without in our day to day lives, are nothing but an accident!
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1. Potato Chips
Potato chips were brought into this world by a fed-up chef. In 1853, when a customer in a New York restaurant complaint about his fried potatoes being too ‘soggy’, the pissed-off chef cut the potatoes so thin and sprinkled them with salt. It was a big hit!
2. Microwave
In 1945, Percy Spencer was studying microwave emitting magnetron when the chocolate bar in his pocked started melting. He then thought about an idea to use microwave to heat and cook food.
3. Post-It Notes
Spencer Silver, a researcher with 3M laboratories was trying to develop a super strong adhesive but ended up making a glue that was weaker than the existing ones. It can be pulled off easily and re-stuck again. Another scientist, Art Fry used this adhesive to create bookmarks that we now know as Post-It.
4. Cornflakes
John and Will Kellog accidentally developed cornflakes when they left a pot of boiled corns on the strove for many days.
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5. Penicillin
The revolutionary antibiotic that saved so many lives was created by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928 accidentally. He by mistake left a culture of Staphylococcus aureus in the lab for two weeks and found that they hadn’t grown due to a mould called Penicillium Notatum.
6. Non-Stick Pans
Chemist Roy Plunkett was developing a new variety of Chlorfluorocarbon, but ended up developing a non-stick lubricant which is now used in Teflon.
7. LSD
Dr. Albert Hofmann while working for Sandoz Company accidentally synthesized LSD-25 which absorbed into his skin through his fingertips. And that’s how found the pleasures of LSD.
8. Matchsticks
When a British chemist John Walker scraped a chemical-coated stick on his hearth he saw some sparks. That’s when the idea struck his mind to create matchsticks.
9. Safety Glass
Edward Benedictus glass bottle survived a fall without being shattered into pieces. After studying it, he found out that a chemical called cellulose nitrate prevented the glass from shattering and that’s how safety glass came into being.
10. X-Ray
Physics professor Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen was working on a CRT in his lab. He shielded the tube with a thick paper and found out that it was emitting a fluorescent light. He found that a new type of radiations were being emitted by the tube which came to be known as X-Ray.
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11. Coca Cola
John Pemberton wanted to develop a French wine coca concoction for headaches and nervous disroders. When the alcohol was banned in Atlanta, he used coca-based syrup instead of wine with carbonated water. He sold this concoction to be a miracle cure for headaches and exhaustion.
12. Brandy
A Dutch shipmaster wanted to ship wine easily so he heated the wine to extract alcohol. He would then mix water to make it wine again. However, the taste and composition changed so he decided to keep it concentrated without water. This came to be known as burnt wine or Brandy.
13. Viagra
The sildenafil compound in Viagra was initially developed by Pfizer for hypertension and angina pectoris. But during trials it was found that the drug was causing erections and that’s how Viagra was found.
14. Slinky
Though this toy serves no real purpose, it is a real amusement for some. Naval engineer Richard James was trying to create a spring for sensitive equipment on ship. When this spring accidentally fell off, it kept moving and jumping. This gave him a idea to create a toy and his wife Betty gave it a name.
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15. Ink-Jet Printers
A Canon engineer accidentally left a hot iron on his ink pen which started dropping ink from his pot due to high pressure. This gave him the idea of Ink-Jet printers.
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