Did You Know?
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 wounds. This led to the development of petroleum jelly, marketed as Vaseline. The accidental discovery created a multi-billion dollar petroleum products industry.
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....