5 Accidental Inventions That Changed The World For The Better

Accidents are part of what make us human. While some of them do not lead to pleasant results, some are actually for the better. For example, coca-cola, stainless steel and x-ray were all invented by accident. Yet, they completely changed our way of life.

In 1895, German Physicist Wilhelm Roentgen was carrying out experiments in his lab when he made a startling discovery. His experiment involved the use of cathode rays to prove whether they could pass through glass or not. All a sudden, he noticed a glow on a screen nearby. Of course the glow was a remarkable discovery but he couldn’t explain it. So, he nicknamed It “X Radiation”. Today, X-ray technology is used around the world to treat cancer and ensure that people don’t smuggle inappropriate things into a flight.

About a century ago, the world was still using steel that stained or rusted. This was a concern to many scientists who were looking for a better form of steel that did not rust or stain. It wasn’t until English metallurgist Harry Bearley was working to develop a specialized gun barrel that he accidentally discovered how to produce stainless steel. With this discovery, steel became even more applicable to everyday users.

 Alfred Nobel, the man who established the Nobel Prize, was also the man who invented the dynamite. He first invented blasting caps which were used for the safe detonation of an extremely dangerous substance called nitroglycerin. One fateful day, a crate containing nitroglycerin fell over and caused the nitroglycerin to spill into the substance called used to encapsulate the jar. Surprisingly, it didn’t cause any explosion. Through this finding, Nobel recognised a much safer way to transport and detonate nitroglycerin.

It all started when a New York chef George Crum started receiving complaints from his customers that his fries were not crispy enough. Crum, annoyed by this, decided to slice the potato as thin as possible. He also deep-fried them in oil and sprinkled them with a lot of salt. He probably thought this would annoy the customers a lot more. To his surprise, they loved it! Since then, potato chips has been sold around the world in over 200 flavours.

While trying to get rid of headaches, John Pemberton,  a regular pharmacist,  came up with a combination of two ingredients: cocoa leaves and colanuts combined into a syrup. The syrup was supposed to be mixed with water but John accidentally mixed it with soda one day. This led to the creation of the delicious and refreshing drink we all love today.

Which of these stories amazed you the most? Tell us in the comment section below.