Did You Know?
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 a stable explosive. This accidental discovery led to dynamite's invention and ultimately funded the Nobel Prizes.
Did You Know?
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...
Did You Know?
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...
Did You Know?
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....