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Innovation isn't always a straight line. We often imagine a brilliant scientist shouting "Eureka!" after a precisely executed experiment.
But history is filled with stories of progress born from pure, dumb luck. These are the unexpected discoveries, the happy accidents that turned a mistake into a masterpiece.
From a forgotten petri dish to a melted chocolate bar, some of the most famous inventions we use every day weren't planned at all.
The path to discovery is often paved with curiosity, observation, and the willingness to see potential in a failed experiment.
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An accidental invention is a testament to the human mind's ability to connect dots where no connection was thought to exist.
Here are 12 products of magnificent mistakes that were discovered by mistake and went on to change our world forever.
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Lady using a microwave
1. Penicillin
Inventor: Alexander Fleming
Year of Discovery: 1928
The Happy Accident
Upon returning from a holiday, Scottish physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming found that one of his petri dishes containing Staphylococcus bacteria had been contaminated with a mold, Penicillium notatum.
He noticed something remarkable, the bacteria couldn't grow anywhere near the mold. He wasn't looking for an antibiotic, but he was observant enough to recognise he had stumbled upon a "mould juice" that could kill bacteria.
Fleming's accidental discovery laid the foundation for modern antibiotics. Penicillin has saved an estimated 200 million lives since it began to be mass-produced in the 1940s and remains a cornerstone of modern medicine, treating everything from pneumonia to scarlet fever.
Penicillin
2. The Microwave Oven
Inventor: Percy Spencer
Year of Discovery: 1945
The Happy Accident
Percy Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon, was working on a magnetron, a vacuum tube that generates microwaves for radar systems.
During one test, he noticed a candy bar in his pocket had melted. Intrigued, he aimed the tube at other food items, like popcorn kernels (they popped) and an egg (it exploded). He realised the low-density microwave energy was heating the food.
Impact Today
The first commercial microwave, the "Radarange," was over 6 feet tall and cost about $5,000. Today, many households have a compact, affordable microwave oven, fundamentally changing how we cook and reheat food.
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A woman looking at a burnt microwave
READ ALSO: 5 things you can use your microwave for aside from heating food
3. Post-it Notes (Sticky Notes)
Inventor: Dr. Spencer Silver & Art Fry
Year of Discovery: 1968 (adhesive), 1974 (the idea)
The Happy Accident
Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M, was trying to create a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally formulated the opposite: a very weak, pressure-sensitive adhesive that could be easily removed without leaving a residue.
For years, his "failed experiment" was ignored. Then, his colleague, Art Fry, grew frustrated when the paper bookmarks in his church hymnal kept falling out. He remembered Silver's weak adhesive, applied it to a piece of paper, and the Post-it Note was born.
Impact Today
Post-it Notes are an indispensable office and home supply, used for reminders, brainstorming, and communication worldwide.
Sticky notes
4. X-Rays
Inventor: Wilhelm Röntgen
Year of Discovery: 1895
The Happy Accident
German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen was conducting experiments on cathode rays using a sealed glass tube. He noticed that even with the tube covered in black cardboard, a nearby screen coated with barium platinocyanide began to glow.
He theorised that an unknown type of ray, which he called "X-rays," with "X" denoting unknown, was being emitted and passing through the solid cardboard. He soon discovered these rays could also pass through human tissue, capturing an image of the bones in his wife's hand.
Impact Today
The discovery of X-rays revolutionised medical diagnostics, allowing doctors to see inside the human body without surgery. It's a fundamental tool in medicine, materials science, and airport security.
5. The Pacemaker
Inventor: Wilson Greatbatch
Year of Discovery: 1956
The Happy Accident
Greatbatch was building a device to record heart sounds. He reached into a box for a resistor to complete the circuit but accidentally pulled out the wrong size—a 1-megaohm resistor instead of a 10,000-ohm one.
When he installed it, the circuit began to pulse with a rhythm that mimicked a human heartbeat. He recognised the potential immediately.
READ ALSO: How smartwatches track your pulse
Pacemaker
Impact Today
His accidental invention led to the first successful implantable pacemaker in 1960. Today, millions of people worldwide rely on pacemakers to regulate their heart rhythms and live longer, healthier lives.
6. Velcro
Inventor: George de Mestral
Year of Discovery: 1941
The Happy Accident
After a hunting trip in the Alps, Swiss engineer George de Mestral noticed that tiny burrs from the burdock plant were clinging stubbornly to his clothes and his dog's fur.
Examining them under a microscope, he saw that the burrs had thousands of tiny hooks that latched onto the loops in the fabric. He spent the next decade replicating this natural hook-and-loop system.
velcro
Impact Today
Velcro is used on everything from sneakers and jackets to blood pressure cuffs and equipment used by NASA astronauts in space.
7. Safety Glass
Inventor: Édouard Bénédictus
Year of Discovery: 1903
The Happy Accident
French chemist Édouard Bénédictus accidentally knocked a glass flask off his desk. To his surprise, it didn't shatter into a million pieces.
The flask had contained a solution of cellulose nitrate, a liquid plastic, which had evaporated and left a thin film on the inside. This film held the cracked glass together.
Impact Today
Initially used for gas mask lenses in World War I, safety glass (or laminated glass) is now mandated for car windshields, saving countless lives by preventing drivers from being ejected during a crash. It's also used in skylights and bulletproof glass.
READ ALSO: Why modern cars are designed to crumple during accidents
8. Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate)
Inventor: Dr. Harry Coover
Year of Discovery: 1942
The Happy Accident
Dr. Harry Coover was working at Eastman Kodak, trying to develop clear plastic for gun sights during WWII.
He and his team experimented with a chemical called cyanoacrylate, but it was frustratingly sticky, bonding to everything it touched.
They rejected it. Years later, in 1951, he was overseeing a project to develop heat-resistant polymers for jet canopies, and his team once again tested cyanoacrylates.
This time, he realised the "failed" substance's incredible bonding power was its true strength.
super glue
Impact Today
Marketed as Super Glue, this powerful adhesive is a household staple for quick repairs. It's also used in medicine and forensics.
9. Teflon
Inventor: Roy Plunkett
Year of Discovery: 1938
The Happy Accident
While working for DuPont, chemist Roy Plunkett was trying to create a new, non-toxic refrigerant gas. He stored a sample of tetrafluoroethylene gas (C2F4) in a pressurized cylinder.
When he came back to use it, the gas was gone, but the cylinder still felt heavy. He sawed it open and found a waxy, incredibly slippery white powder that was resistant to heat and chemicals.
The gas had polymerized into what we now know as Teflon.
READ ALSO: Government Studying Widely Used Chemicals Linked to Health Issues
Impact Today
Best known for its non-stick coating on cookware, Teflon is also used in countless industrial applications, including wiring, medical devices, and stain-proof fabrics.
10. Corn Flakes
Inventors: John Harvey Kellogg & Will Keith Kellogg
Year of Discovery: 1894
The Happy Accident
They were experimenting with boiling wheat to create a dough. They accidentally left a pot of boiled wheat sitting out for several days.
When they returned, the wheat had gone stale, but they decided to force it through rollers anyway. Instead of a sheet of dough, each grain emerged as a separate, flattened flake, which they toasted.
corn flakes
Impact Today
After adapting the recipe to use corn, Will Keith Kellogg created the iconic Corn Flakes, founding a company that would change breakfast forever.
11. Potato Crisps/Chips
Inventor: George Crum
Year of Discovery: 1853
The Happy Accident
The story goes that George Crum, a chef at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, had a customer who repeatedly sent back his fried potatoes, complaining they were too thick and soggy.
In a burst of anger, Crum sliced the potatoes paper-thin, fried them to a crisp, and doused them in salt. He intended it as a sarcastic rebuke, but the customer loved them. "Saratoga Chips/Crisps" became a local delicacy.
Impact Today
Potato chips/crisps are one of the world's most popular snack foods, with countless variations and a multi-billion-dollar global market.
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Potato crisps(Serious Eats)
READ ALSO: Health benefits of Irish potatoes
12. Viagra (Sildenafil)
Inventor: Scientists at Pfizer
Year of Discovery: Early 1990s
The Happy Accident
Researchers at Pfizer were running clinical trials for a new drug called Sildenafil, hoping it would treat angina (chest pain) by dilating blood vessels around the heart.
The drug proved ineffective for its intended purpose. However, male trial participants reported a very unusual and consistent side effect: significantly improved erections. The company wisely pivoted its research.
Impact Today
Approved in 1998, Viagra became a global blockbuster, transforming the treatment of erectile dysfunction and starting a worldwide conversation about sexual health.