Man has constantly been striving to make life easy for survival. While most of these inventions happened while people were looking for it, some happened when they least expected. Some of the best inventions we use to this day are accidents. They sure have made our lives better. Here’s a look at some of the accidental discoveries that have made life better!
Microwave
Yes, the microwave that you use day in and day out for everything from heating your morning coffee to prepping up breakfast, the microwave is part of your everyday life. However, did you know that this was an accidental scientific invention? An engineer working for the Raytheon Corporation was working on a radar-related project when he found a melted chocolate bar behind the vacuum tube.
Intrigued by how the chocolate melted faster than the chocolate bar in his pocket, he began pointing the tube at several other objects in the room. Everything from popcorn to eggs was subjected to this experiment until he found them cooked. Raytheon then went on to file a patent for the first microwave on October 18, 1945.
X-Ray
Every time you visit the doctor with an injury, he advises you to get an X-Ray done. An X-Ray is a painless testing procedure that helps healthcare professionals look at body structures. It uses electromagnetic waves using high energy to examine the bones. The procedure usually takes around ten to fifteen minutes and is noninvasive. Besides that, it is also helpful in treating the body’s diseased tissues because of its high penetration power.
However, the invention of X-Rays was an accidental discovery. Scientist Henri Becquerel was trying to study the connection between phosphorescence and its ability to give off light. He tried to expose the photographic plates to the sun rays using uranium salts. While the sky was overcast, making it difficult for him to go forward with the experiment, he could still see clearer images when he developed the plates. The uranium had emitted radioactive rays that helped develop the images. And that’s how the X-Ray came into existence!
Pacemaker
Well, this is one accidental invention for which thousands of people across the globe will be thankful for! While the X-Ray makes it possible for the patient to get an easy and painless diagnosis, this invention helps nurse the patient back to health! Yes, we are talking about the Pacemaker, which ensures that a person with heart problems continue to lead a normal and healthy life.
An artificial cardiac Pacemaker is a device that is a medical device that helps the patient to have a normal heartbeat. This is very helpful for Arrhythmias patients. The Pacemaker’s discovery was by Wilson Greatbatch in 1956, which happened while building a device for recording the heart rhythm. However, he reached into a box for a resistor, help with the complete circuitry.
However, he ended up pulling out the wrong one and installed an ill-fitting resistor, which ended up emitting electrical pulses, which made him think of the heartbeats. He then tried to work out a way to create smaller versions of the product and succeeded in doing so too. On May 7, 1958, he shrank the device and successfully inserted it into a dog.
Viagra
This is a medicine we have all heard about, and a few have used it. Famous as the first treatment for male erectile dysfunction, Pfizer was testing it for other reasons. Did you know that they were initially trying to come up with a medication for heart ailments?
However, men who took the medication noticed that it had another effect: stronger and long-lasting erections. A test on 4,000 men with erectile disfunction went on to show that they had the same effect too, and thus was born Viagra.
Play-doh
Play-doh, this is one great invention that keeps children across the world entertained. This easy looking toy not just helps children entertained for hours, it also keeps them engaged in making numerous things. However, did you know that this was an accidental invention too?
Noah McVicker and his brother Cleo worked at a soap factory when they tried to create a wallpaper cleaner. People often used a byproduct of coal fires, the soot, to keep their homes warm. And to remove this soot from the walls, they used clay. However, with the invention of vinyl wallpapers, this duo went out of business. However, with a pre-school teacher’s help, the duo made using clay with colors instead of detergent and invented the Play-doh.
What other accidental scientific discoveries do you know about?