Scientific discoveries usually come about after years of research and struggle. But many of the most unbelievable discoveries in the world came about when someone discovered something they weren’t looking for. So, we have compiled a list of top 10 accidental discoveries that will blow your mind.
Top 10 Accidental Discoveries
These are the outcome of a true accident. Fortunate accidents have enabled people to discover unexpected but useful products.
Penicillin
Penicillin was invented by Alexander Fleming in the year 1928.
Midway through an analysis of bacteria, Alexander Fleming got up and went on holiday. Leper that he was, he left a dirty petri dish in the lab sink. The big discovery was waiting for him. When he got back, he saw bacteria had spread all over the plate, except in an area where mold had grown.
Consequently, that discovery led to two things: 1) penicillin and 2) Mrs. Fleming hiring a maidservant.
Anesthesia
The inventor of anesthesia was Horace Wells back in the year 1844.
In its early days, nitrous oxide was rigidly a fun toy, since it made people yell like stupids. But a friend of the dentist took too much of the stuff at a laughing-gas stage show and gashed his leg. The big discovery was observed when the friend hadn’t recognized he’d hurt himself.
Ultimately, Nitrous oxide became an early form of anesthesia.
Saccharin
Saccharin was invented by Constantin Fahlberg and Ira Remsen back in the year 1879.
After spending the day examining coal tar derivatives, Fahlberg left his Johns Hopkins lab and went to dinner. Something he ate tasted unusually sweet, which he tracked to a chemical compound he’d dropped on his hand. Best of all, it turned out to be calorie-free.
Subsequently, he cut Remsen and the university out of millions of dollars when he quietly secured the breakthrough discovery, saccharin.
The Microwave
The Inventor of the microwave was Percy Spencer in the year 1946.
After the conclusion of World War II, the Raytheon engineer was studying for other applications for the magnetron, which produced the microwaves for radar systems. While Spencer was standing next to the device one day, a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. The magnetron went even better on popcorn.
As an output, Orville Redenbacher became much wealthy.
Viagra
The inventors of this viral drug were Scientists at Pfizer in the Year 1992.
What actually happened there, a Welsh hamlet was ground zero for analysis on a pill to fight angina. Unluckily for the distressed, it had minor success against the disease. Though it didn’t work, the men taking part in the investigation denied to give up their medication.
As a result of this, the scientists turned gears and sold the drug, Viagra, for a very distinct purpose.
Chewing Gum
The thing we all love at least once in our childhood. Chewing gum was invented by Thomas Adams in the Year 1870.
What really happened there, he was testing with chicle, the substance from a South American tree, as a replacement for rubber. After facing failures, the depressed inventor popped a piece into his mouth. We are eating chewing gums now because he loved it!
As a result of this dramatic discovery, Adams New York No. 1 became the first mass-produced chewing gum in the world.
Botox
The inventors of Botox were Alastair and Jean Carruthers in the Year 1987.
The couple was using small portions of a fatal toxin to treat ‘crossed eyes’ eyelid contractions and other eye-muscle disorders when they saw an exciting side effect. The big finding was seen when wrinkles magically vanished.
As a result of this, the expressionless face became the ‘it’ look, thanks to Botox.
Brandy
We all love brandy. Some don’t anyway. The Inventor of brandy is A Dutch shipmaster in the 16th century.
What actually happened there, He applied heat to concentrate wine to make it easier to transport, intending to add water to reconstitute it when he arrived.
The big discovery occurred when he noticed concentrated wine is better than watered-down wine.
As a result of this, ‘Burnt wine,’ or ‘brandewijn’ in Dutch, became a big success. Call it brandy, since, after a few drinks of the stuff, there’s no way you can pronounce brandewijn so a bartender can get what you’re ordering.
X-Rays
Of course, x-rays are a wonder of the natural world, and thus can’t be made. The story of their discovery is an interesting one of unbelievable possibilities. In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen was conducting a routine test involving cathode rays, when he saw that a piece of fluorescent cardboard was lighting up from across the room.
A thick cover had been placed between his cathode emitter and the radiated cardboard, proving that particles of light were passing through solid objects. Surprised, Roentgen instantly discovered that bright images could be created with this incredible radiation. The first of their kind is a skeletal image of his wife’s hand.
Insulin
This discovery later enabled scientists to get insulin was a chance. In 1889, two doctors at the University of Strasbourg, Oskar Minkowski and Josef von Mering, were working to learn how the pancreas altered digestion, so they removed the organ from a healthy dog.
A few days later, they saw that flies were clustering around the dog’s urine – something strange, and surprising. They examined the urine and found sugar in it. They noted that by removing the pancreas, they had given the dog diabetes.
Those two never discovered what the pancreas produced that regulated blood sugar. But during a range of tests that conducted between 1920 and 1922, scientists at the University of Toronto were able to separate a pancreatic discharge that they called insulin.
