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Accidental genius is nothing new. Just like people stumbled upon super useful life hacks unexpectedly, so too have others invented things that changed the world... purely by chance.
Take Viagra, for example. It was never meant to be a magic pill for men. It was actually originally developed to help treat angina, a heart condition that constricts the vessels that supply the heart with blood.
During trials, the pill failed to prevent anginas, however, it did yield another unexpected and surprising result: an increased number of "bulges" in the pants of male participants.
"While at the time this may have been a disappointment to those who developed it, their accidental invention resulted in a gold mine for Pfizer," notes the How Stuff Works site.
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Super glue is another example of an accidental but useful invention. It was first encountered way before its true purpose was determined. A researcher named Harry Coover, who worked for Eastman Kodak, was messing around during World War II trying to make a type of clear plastic that soldiers could use. Frustrated by the ultra stickiness of the substance he was working with, Coover binned the idea and moved on...
Six years later, in 1951, Coover was researching heat-resistant polymers for jet airplane canopies. He thought back to the sticky substance and had a lightbulb moment.
"Coover realized these sticky adhesives had unique properties in that they required no heat or pressure to bond. He and his team tried the substance on various items in the lab, and each time, the items became permanently bonded together," explains the Lemelson MIT site.
Through the experiments, Coover and his team realized that the glue didn’t require any heat or pressure to bond two items together permanently, and thus, super glue - as we know it today - was born.
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This is transcendental meditation. You're not meant to fall asleep, but I found that I certainly do. I now use it not to meditate, but to quickly get to sleep.
You might be surprised to know that Play-Doh was initially invented as a cleaning product. Yes, we are talking about the children's toy putty stuff.
According to How Stuff Works, most homes were heated using coal before World War II. It left layers of soot deposits all over the house, including on wallpaper, which was a very in-thing back then. Enter Play-Doh: an effective way to remove the black marks.
However, after the war, more and more people started using natural gas as a heat source, rendering Play-Doh pretty useless, and almost bankrupting the Kutol’s Products company.
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Not noticeable unless you knew about it. Solved my missing sock problem. Use a bag now or watch for the crack.
Thankfully, in the early 1950s, one of the Play-Doh inventors found out that his sister (a school teacher) had been giving the stuff to her students to use as modeling dough.
He went on to test the product in other nurseries and schools, and later established Rainbow Crafts as the company under which the product would be sold. It was originally only offered in off-white. But much to the delight of kids (and some adults) around the world, Play-Doh now comes in a wide range of colors.
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(Of course some children it won’t work with but it does with a majority).
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If you've ever enjoyed a popsicle on a hot Summer's day, you might be intrigued to know that they, too, came about completely by chance. Thanks to an 11-year-old boy called Frank Epperson in 1905.
The little boy accidently forgot a powder-flavored soda water mixture on the porch one evening with a stir stick in it. The icy cold weather caused the mixture to freeze onto the stick. No one thought too much about it, until 1922...
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Epperson decided on a whim to serve the special icy treat to the public. He took a few to the local Fireman’s ball, and they were a massive hit. Realizing he was onto something, Epperson applied for a “frozen confectionary” patent in 1924 under the name “Epsicle Ice Pop.”
In 1925, he sold his patent to the Popsicle Corporation after running into some financial troubles. Today, the Popsicle brand, as we know it, is owned by the Good Humor division of Unilever, and is enjoyed by kids and adults around the world.
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Dust and shavings get stuck to the adhesive, and then you can just pull a little more off the wall and seal it by folding it. Then move onto the next hole until you run out of tape.
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Another cool and welcome accidental invention came in the form of anesthesia. In the 1800s, Crawford Long, William Morton, Charles Jackson and Horace Wells were taking part in “laughing parties.” As the name suggests, groups of people got together to laugh, with the help of nitrous oxide.
The men realized that when ether or nitrous oxide were inhaled for recreation and entertainment, they had an effect on people’s perceptions of pain. "Morton and Jackson adopted the use of anesthesia for dental purposes, while Long administered it for minor surgeries," reveals the How Things Work site.
#19
Tbh not sure if this is a normal thing or I made myself this way by doing it as a kid.