5 Accidental inventions that changed the world

5. Super glue


During world war II 1942, Harry Coover was desperate to make a transparent sight for rifles to help troops.

He was determined to find a solution with cyanoacrylates, which was a transparent substance that was extremely sticky.

Initially frustrated, he threw the sample away and it took him 4 years to bring it back and sell it to Kodak as an adhesive.

The strong bonding between the molecules makes it an extremely strong chain of molecules.

4. Velcro


If you look at some velcro with a magnifying glass you'll see it's made of tiny hooks attaching to loops.

This idea was revolutionised by a Swiss engineer, one day when he was walking his dog, a Burr fell on him (the tiny seeds that spread by sticking to animals and your shirt).

Immediately he ran home (his dog probably loved that) and checked it out under the microscope and saw the genius of how the seed works.

It took him quite a while (10 years) to properly engineer (pardon the pun) the loops to form correctly, but it all paid off, he ended up selling 60 million square yards of the stuff annually.

3. Vaseline


Robert Cheseborough was a kerosene salesmen who ran out of stock.

Changing his life plans, he headed to Pensylvania to try to gain work in oilfields, however when he got there he'd hear all sorts of complaints about a wax which reduced the performance when it gathered on all the drills.

All his collegues complained but they mentioned one property, it sped up healing.

He collected a sample, took it home and injured himself countless times to investigate the healing properties of the waxy substance.

He brought it out to the public and sold a jar every minute, soon he was really rich.

What he didn't tell anyone that he ate a tablespoon of it everyday.

Imagine this being the size of your fridge..

2. Microwave


This started out as weaponry involving EM waves. One day one of the scientists noticed a chocolate bar was melting in his pocket and he figured out it was because of microwaves.

He quit his job immediately and headed into business, where his new invention was the size of a fridge, and exploded eggs.

1. Viagra


Two researchers; Simon Campbell and David Roberts who worked at pharmaceutical company Pfizer were working on a drug to cure Angina.

Eventually it got to human trials but the volunteers noticed something odd. (yeah) They had raging erections for a long period of time.

Being adventurous, they stopped the Angina pill and jumped into the Erectile dysfunction scene. In a few years the drug was approved by the FDA.

Now it doesn't cure angina, but it certainly helps spice up dull relationships and aid pornstars! (haha get it?)