Did you know that some of the most innovative creations of all time were accidental inventions?
Have you ever wondered how somebody came up with an idea? For instance, how did someone ever think of making a microwave oven or an X-ray machine? Well, by accident, that’s how!
Many of humanity’s most useful gadgets and devices were invented entirely by mistake.
For many centuries, people of science have been tasked with finding the key to a particular problem, only to discover something entirely different.
So, on that note, take a look at this list of 6 of the most essential and valuable inventions invented or discovered by mistake… Did YOU know about all these accidental inventions?
Accidental invention: Pacemaker
Dr. Wilson Greatbatch made a mistake that led to one of the most significant lifesaving innovations that would forever change health care.
He was trying to create a heart rhythm recorder in 1956 when an erroneous electronic component caused him to fail. The device produced electronic pulses rather than registering the sound of a heartbeat.
That’s when the doctor realized that his error could help an unhealthy heart stay in rhythm by providing shocks to help contract and pump blood.
After his accidental invention, Dr. Greatbatch went to work to create the first implantable cardiac pacemaker. It took him two whole years to perfect his device and obtain a patent.
This first pacemaker created by him was implanted in a patient who lived a year and a half with the device.
His design has ultimately saved millions of lives worldwide over time, and he proved that failure is the most significant learning experience.
Accidental invention: Velcro
Velcro fasteners are on so many products nowadays, from blood pressure gauges to backpacks, but can you imagine a world where this technology doesn’t even exist?
Almost a century ago, people happily lived in a Velcro-less world without plans to invent the item. But in 1941, Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral was walking through the woods with his dog.
When they got back from their walk, he noticed it was covered with small burrs.
He examined the burrs in hopes of determining how they clung to hair and clothing so well, and he saw that the little hooks on the burr is what allowed it to cling to tiny loops of fabric.
That’s when De Mestral came up with the brilliant idea of creating a two-sided fastener with stiff loops and hooks.
He named this accidental invention “Velcro,” which is the company’s name and not the general term for those genius hook-and-loop fasteners.
In 1955, his product was patented and then fabricated and distributed all over the world. Velcro fasteners have been used on several items but gained the most popularity after being used in outer space.
The fasteners helped keep gear from floating around in zero gravity. Throughout de Mestral’s lifetime, his company sold an average of 60 million yards of Velcro annually.
Accidental invention: Kevlar
Even though Stephanie Kwolek had always wanted to be a doctor, she became the accidental inventor of Kevlar instead. As we all know, kevlar is a lightweight fabric that’s also five times stronger than steel.
While studying molecule chains at low temperatures, Kwolek found a stiff and robust chain.
She knew that fibers constructed from this solution were the most powerful anyone had ever seen, and her discovery led to the accidental invention of Kevlar. There are now over 200 applications for this fabric.
It’s been used to create body armor for military troops and police forces, and it can also be found in shoes, boats, planes, car brakes, and many other things.
Kevlar vests have even saved many lives from knives, bullets, and other weapons. And the best part is that many more in the future will also be spared thanks to this discovery.
Accidental invention: Laughing Gas, a.k.a. Nitrous Oxide
Back in 1799, Humphry Davy, an English inventor, and chemist who would ultimately be selected as the president of the Royal Society in London, decided to experiment on himself to discover the consequences of inhaling artificially produced gases,… in the name of science, of course.
Along with his assistant, Dr. Kinglake, they discovered that heat-treating ammonium nitrate crystals created a gas that they could collect in oil-treated silk bags.
They could then proceed to run the gas through water vapors to refine it.
After connecting a makeshift mouthpiece, Humphry inhaled a bag of the gas and was euphorically astonished and more than pleasantly surprised with the outcomes.
He had discovered laughing gas or nitrous oxide and maybe even the very origin of the phrase,
“They were gassed!” Humphry documented that he was feeling ” intense pleasure, giddiness, flushed cheeks, and sublime emotion linked with highly vivid concepts.”
He soon began experimenting with the gas more and more until he was breathing laughing gas out of the lab and after drinking alcohol when he was at home.
Even though he kept meticulous notes of his observations while inhaling laughing gas, the quantity he consumed increased dramatically.
Davy would let his colleagues and patients try the gas, just as long as they recorded their experiences for scientific purposes.
Some were even relatively famous, including the heir to the famous Wedgwood pottery company and famous poets Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Humphry went so far as to create an airtight box that people would get into and inhale pure nitrous oxide.
In 1800, Davy published Researches, Chemical, and Philosophical, mainly concerning Nitrous Oxide and its Respiration, which are 80 very amusing pages of his experiences while experimenting with Nitrous Oxide.
Accidental invention: Glasses that treat those who are color blind
Don McPherson was out playing ultimate Frisbee in 2005 when one of his buddies asked him if he could borrow his sunglasses.
His friend was shocked when he put them on, and he realized the glasses allowed him to see the color orange for the first time in his life. That’s how McPherson had learned that his friend was color-blind.
Made by Don McPherson, these glasses were initially made as eyewear for doctors to wear during during laser surgery. The surgeons loved them so much that they began disappearing from operating rooms.
McPherson also started wearing them in public, which is why he had them that fateful day.
He and two of his colleagues later launched EnChroma Labs, a company committed to producing sunglasses for those with color vision deficiency.
The company continues researching color blindness to this day and how it can supply glasses to consumers with various color deficiencies.
They’re currently working on a pediatric model, indoor glasses, and an online test to help individuals understand more about their color blindness.
Accidental Invention: Post-it Notes
When you think about it, sticky notes are just a bunch of small pieces of paper used to help remind you what you have to pick up at the grocery store or that your doctor’s appointment is coming up. We all use them.
Yet, did you know that it’s due to an accident that we’re lucky enough to have these little pieces of paper in our lives? In 1968, a chemist at 3M, Dr. Spencer Silver, tried to create an extra-strong adhesive.
But instead, he accidentally created a very weak, pressure-sensitive glue. He talked about his “solution without a problem” within the company for a couple of years, but nobody could think of a way to use it.
That all changed in 1974, though! Art Fry, an associate of Silver’s, found a way to use the adhesive for personal use.
Fry was a member of a church choir and was annoyed that bookmarks placed in his hymnal were constantly falling out. He used the adhesive on his bookmarks to hold them in place.
Then, Fry came up with the idea of using Silver’s glue on small notes. That’s how 3M released them under the name “Press’ n Peel” in 1977. However, they didn’t have immediate success.
The company began testing them in certain locations and released “Post-it Notes” in 1980.
The small sticky notes finally started gaining traction, and the rest is history. The notes are now in most homes worldwide and come in various colors and shapes.
What did you think about these accidental inventions? Let us know in the comments below. And if you enjoyed this article, we think you’ll also like: The Kennedy Curse: 5 Women Whose Lives They Ruined
