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DISCOVERIES FOUND BY ACCIDENT

Added on: 30th May 2015

 

DYNAMITE

accidental inventions

Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and engineer was trying to stabilize

nitro-glycerine so that it could be stored when a series of

accidents eventually led to the death of his brother in an explosion.

Some say this pushed him even harder. One day while he was

transporting some of the compound a can started leaking.

The packing mixture, however, started absorbing the liquid.

Since nitro-glycerine is most dangerous in its liquid form he

had found his answer.

 

 

SACCHARIN

accidental inventions

Constantine Fahlberg, a scientist at John Hopkins University

accidentally carried some compounds from the lab home with him.

While eating dinner he realized the bread tasted strangely sweet in

spite of the fact that he hadn’t used any sugar. He then realized it

had come from the lab.

 

 

PACEMAKER

accidental inventions

While building an oscillator to record heart beat sounds in animals at

Cornell University Wilson Greatbatch accidentally grabbed the wrong

transistor. After switching on the device he found it to have a very

familiar rhythmic pulsing sound, very similar to a human heart.

 

 

MODERN ANAESTHESIA

accidental inventions

Although alcohol has long been the drug of choice when it comes to

amputations and other painful battlefield style procedures, in the

1800s several doctors realized that ether and nitrous oxide

(laughing gas) inhibited pain in people under the influence.

 

 

SILLY PUTTY

accidental inventions

During World War II, while attempting to create a synthetic rubber

substitute, James Wright dropped boric acid into silicone oil.

The result was a bouncy substance that had no apparent use.

In 1950 marketing expert Peter Hodgson saw its potential as a

toy and now we have Silly Putty.

 

 

POST-IT NOTES

accidental inventions

In 1974 3M employee Arthur Fry used what 3M had deemed a useless

sticky substance to hold bookmarks in his hymnal while singing in

the church choir. Although 3M was initially sceptical about selling

adhesive notes, today they are glad they did.

 

 

SLINKY

accidental inventions

In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a

spring that would support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships.

When one of the springs accidentally fell off a shelf, it continued

moving and James got the idea for a toy.

 

 

POTATO CHIPS

accidental inventions

Chef George Crum came up with the snack in 1853 when he was

fed up with a customer who kept sending his fried potatoes back to

the kitchen saying they weren’t crunchy enough. Annoyed,

Crum sliced them as thin as possible, fried them in hot grease,

and doused them in salt. The customer loved them.

 


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