Some of the best inventions to have ever been created have been by pure accident. Many of them have become integral to our lives in ways that we can’t imagine living without them. However, they were only discovered because of a mishap or were found when they weren’t really being looked for.
Indeed, when you look at some of the biggest discoveries that have occurred and find out that they were only made due to an accident, it can be difficult to wrap your head around.
Here are five of those that seem impossible not to have been created on purpose, given the impact that they have had on the daily lives of the human race and how they continue to be used all the time…
1. Penicillin
Perhaps the most famous of all accidental discoveries, Alexander Fleming made the discovery of penicillin in 1928. As we know, penicillin is used to treat infectious diseases that have been created by bacteria types, thus becoming the world’s first antibiotic.
The Scottish scientist only found out about it as he left some bacteria related to his study of staphylococcus in a petri dish, as he tried to understand staph infections and why they were happening. Upon his arrival from a holiday, he found that mold had grown, with very little growth of the bacteria being experienced. After analyzing it, he found that the mold had a byproduct that could contain the infection, thus creating the antibiotic now known as penicillin.
2. Microwave Oven
A microwave oven is a household appliance that can be found in almost every home around the world. However, its invention as a cooking device was an accident, as they weren’t thought to be able to heat food.
This was only discovered when Percy Lebaron Spencer found that a candy bar that was in his pocket had been cooked by the microwaves that had been emitted by the magnetron that was being worked on.
3. Roulette
A classic casino game and one that is known worldwide, the game of roulette was an invention that was made by accident. Blaise Pascal is credited with the invention, as he failed in his conquest to defy physics and create a perpetual motion machine. This happened in 1655, but the French mathematician, physicist and inventor perhaps wouldn’t have had any idea about how the wheel would be used.
While it’s now possible to play roulette online, the classic form of the game uses the wheel that he created based on the idea that French brothers Francois and Louis Blanc had in 1843. They removed the double zero pocket and created a European version of the game, which has since been extremely popular ever since.
4. Potato Chips
One of the world’s biggest snacks, potato chips – or crips in the UK – were invented by accident. A chef named George Crum, based in New York, was asked to alter the slices of potato fries that he had served as they were considered too thick by the patron.
As an act of retaliation, he went back to the kitchen and made the slices to thin for them to be eaten with cutlery, which was the etiquette at the time. However, his plan would come back to bite him, as the patron was delighted with what he received, leading to the creation of the Saratoga Chip.
5. X-Rays
The X-Ray has become one of the most important tools when it comes to security and health. It can help identify what might be happening or is contained in something that can’t be opened up with ease, such as our bodies or in luggage when going through an airport.
German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen noticed that cathode rays can pass through several materials when exposed to a high electrical discharge. He made this discovery in 1895, and decided to run tests to see how far he could go with the rays and their capabilities. He only discovered that he could look at the bones in his body when he tested a small lead disc, as this led to two shadows, one of the disc and one of the bones in his hand.
Many discoveries have been made by accident
While these are five of the biggest discoveries and inventions to have been made and occurred by accident, there are many others that have also experienced the same fate.
The world is truly remarkable, and it won’t be a surprise if we were to learn of other inventions and new ideas in the future that were quite literally just stumbled upon without actually looking for them.