It is quite funny how some of the life changing products that we use today were invented by pure mistakes. Not only products, there are a few awesome readymade foods that we eat every day were actually made accidentally.
Therefore, it is safe to say that not all the mistakes we make in life are destructive in nature. That is why it is always advised to keep your research going even if you are not getting the desired result because you never know you may just invent something far better than what you initially intended to.
1. The Pacemaker
John Hopps was an electrical engineer and he was researching on inventing a heart rhythm recording device. While completing the circuit of the device, he accidentally put a wrong-sized equipment in the circuit and emitted electrical pulses were produced. He fine-tuned the pulses to have the rhythm of a human heart and invented the pacemaker which is a boon for human beings.
2. Smart Dust
Jamie Link was a student when she accidentally discovered smart dust which did wonders for the medical science. During a laboratory work, a silicon chip she was working on got destroyed, but she soon realized that the broken pieces of the chip were acting like sensors. It was fine tuned to detect deadly diseases in human body.
3. Stainless Steel
Harry Brearly was a metallurgist who had the initial intention of inventing an erosion-free steel alloy for the gun barrel. He tried with so many compositions but failed to get the desired result. Out of his large heap of steel scraps, he saw a piece which had not lost its luster even after weeks. On analyzing it, he found that perfect composition he used in it and he realized its application in the shape of cutlery and kitchen products.
4. Ink-Jet Printer
It is quite funny how a Canon engineer’s mistake led to the invention of ink-jet printers. One day, he accidentally placed a hot iron on his pen for a few minutes. When he took it away, he saw that ink was getting ejected from a pen a few minutes later and engineers used this principle to design ink-jet printer.
5. Penicillin
Sir Alexander Fleming had the intention of discovering a magical drug that could heal most of the common diseases in human body. After being fed up with failures, he threw away his experiment apparatus. It was only after a few days that he discovered that a Petri dish which he threw away had a mould that had the capability of dissolving all the bacteria around it. By analyzing it, he found out it contained a group of antibiotics which he named Penicillin.
6. Microwave Ovens
Percy Spencer invented microwave oven when he was conducting an experiment on the radar with a vacuum tube. While conducting the experiment, he realized that the candy bar which he had in his pocket was melting due to heat. He threw a popcorn seed and saw that it popped out and then he realized the potential of his accidental invention and made it into a device for daily use.
7. X-Rays
German professor Wilhelm Rontgen was experimenting with cathode rays when he accidently discovered an invisible ray which could pass through almost anything. He named it x-ray and demonstrated the world how it could be used to get a photograph of human body parts and bones. This is an amazing discovery that became so useful for medical science. His accidental experiment is performed in school laboratories for educational purpose.
8. Potato Chips
George Crum was a chef and one of his customers used to send back the dishes complaining that the fried potatoes were too thick and under-fried. Out of his hot temper, he decided to slice the potatoes thin as paper and fried them until they turned crisp. He thought that the customer wouldn’t like it because it cannot be eaten with a knife and fork but to his surprise, the customer was highly pleased and it went viral worldwide.
9. Safety Glass
Edouard was a French chemist and one day while performing an experiment, a flash feel off but the glass did not shatter but got cracked. On close inspection, he realized that he kept plastic cellulose nitrate in it which had formed a coating from inside that prevented glass from shattering. He used the principle and composition to invent safety glasses.
10. Coca-Cola
It was invented by a civil war veteran pharmacist John Pemberton when he was trying to use coca and coca wines to develop a medication that could relieve pain. He accidentally mixed the syrup he invented with carbonated water and later sold it as a beverage product for drinking.