5 Accidental Inventions

For centuries, man has been on an upward trend when it comes to inventions and novel discoveries. This is very true in the world of science and technology where some of the things we hardly pay attention to came into being because of an accident. So what are some of these inventions? Below are the famous five.

1. Super Glue

Goes back to 1942 when people were thinking about guns and weapons. Dr. Harry Coover was working with cyanoacrylate in Eastman Kodak labs when he discovered the material was too sticky. He threw it away. After the war the cyanoacrylate containers was still stuck where he had thrown it in frustration and he could not remove it in any way. After convincing his superiors in 1958 about the product, Krazy Glue, as commonly known, went to the market as Eastman 910.

2. Smart Dust

Jamie Link, a student at University of California was working on silicon chips for her doctorate when her work burst. Later she realized the small pieces from the burst were still acting as sensors. After winning her the Collegiate Inventors Competition of 2003, the small sensors are now developed and able to detect a lot such as biological agents in the atmosphere, lethal chemicals, water purity and even to destroy and locate body cell tumors.

3. Coca Cola

Of all food inventions, coke is at the top of the list. When John Pemberton, a Pharmacist from Atlanta tried to create a medicine for headaches, he ended up mixing up different formulas of ingredients, a recipe that is still closely guarded. After eight years of humble beginnings, the drink finally found its way into a bottle and the rest is history.

4. Vulcanized Rubber

Charles Goodyear wanted to find out a way of making rubber resistant to cold and heat and could not find a way. After spilling lead, sulfur and rubber mixtures on a stove already heated up, the mixture was charred but not destroyed, very usable but hard. The breakthrough has given us tires, containers, shoes and much more.

5. Penicillin

The greatest of all accidental inventions anywhere, after Alexander Fleming left his workstation un-cleaned and went for a 24-hour vacation way back in 1928. After his return, some cultures had a weird fungus on them. The strange thing was that no bacteria even thrived near them. Thus penicillin, the first ever antibiotic vastly used.

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