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 sweet when he picked it up again. The compound he was working with had transferred to the cigarette, leading to the discovery of cyclamate sweetener.
Did You Know?
The color mauve was accidentally created by William Henry Perkin.
In 1856, 18-year-old Perkin was trying to synthesize artificial quinine for malaria treatment. Instead, he created a purple...
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Stainless steel was invented when Harry Brearley was searching for a better gun barrel material.
In 1913, Brearley noticed that some of his test samples didn't rust in the trash. This led to...
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Gunpowder was discovered by Chinese alchemists searching for an immortality elixir.
Around 850 CE, Chinese alchemists accidentally created gunpowder while experimenting with saltpeter and sulfur in their quest for...