Did you know that these scientific breakthroughs were discovered accidentally?
Miscalculations can be costly… unless you’re lucky.
If these scientific discoveries weren’t found accidentally, they would have remained unknown.
Penicillin
Penicillin is one of the biggest medicinal breakthroughs in history!
It came about entirely by accident as Sir Alexander Fleming took a break from his experimentation with the influenza virus for a two week vacation.
When he returned he found that a mould had started to grow which deterred the virus!
Penicillin was born and is now used to treat a great number of things!
Plastic
A Belgian scientist, Leo Baekeland, accidentally made plastic.
He originally named the mixture of formaldehyde and phenol after himself, Bakelite.
The Microwave
Engineer, Percy Spencer, was attempting to develop energy sources for radar equipment.
As you probably guessed that didn’t work out exactly as he planned.
Spencer had a chocolate bar in his pocket and it melted.
This encouraged him to test his accidental invention by making popcorn!
Vaseline
Robert Chesebrough was so happy that he accidentally discovered Vaseline that he started using it for all kinds of purposes!
He even ate a spoonful every day!
Chesebrough was originally on the hunt for oil when the petroleum jelly made itself known.
Corn Flakes
Corn Flakes were invented when Will Keith Kellogg accidentally left some wheat boiling.
Then the world’s most famous cereal was created!
Anesthesia
During the early 1800s, ether and nitrous oxide were both used for those attending ‘laughing parties’.
When the laughter died down, someone pointed out the substance could help mask pain, and anesthesia was born!
Which one of these is the most surprising ? Let us know!
