Science
Accidental discoveries, unexpected inventions, and chance breakthroughs that changed the world.
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Teflon was discovered through a failed refrigeration experiment.
Roy Plunkett discovered Teflon when a frozen, compressed sample of tetrafluoroethylene spontaneously polymerized. This accident created one of...
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The artificial sweetener cyclamate was discovered when a lab worker smoked a cigarette.
In 1937, graduate student Michael Sveda put his cigarette down on the lab bench and noticed it tasted...
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The bacterial nature of ulcers was discovered when a desperate researcher drank bacteria.
Barry Marshall proved that bacteria cause ulcers by drinking a broth containing H. pylori bacteria, giving himself ulcers....
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Corn Flakes were invented when W.K. Kellogg and his brother accidentally left cooked wheat out.
The Kellogg brothers left some cooked wheat sitting out, which went stale. They processed it anyway, creating wheat...
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Safety glass was invented after a lab accident involving a glass flask.
In 1903, chemist Édouard Bénédictus dropped a glass flask coated with cellulose nitrate. While the flask shattered, it...
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Quinine’s effectiveness against malaria was discovered through a poisoning attempt.
According to legend, an Andean man tried to kill his wife with cinchona bark in a pool of...
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Vaseline was discovered by oil rig workers who complained about a waxy substance.
In 1859, Robert Chesebrough noticed oil workers using 'rod wax' that accumulated on oil rigs to heal their...
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Velcro was invented after a hunting trip observation.
George de Mestral noticed burrs sticking to his clothes and dog's fur after hunting. This led to the...
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Dynamite was invented when Alfred Nobel was trying to stabilize nitroglycerin.
After his brother was killed in a nitroglycerin explosion, Nobel discovered that mixing it with diatomaceous earth created...