Buzz
By Eric Elfman
While diligence and perseverance are often celebrated, the merits of failure and carelessness have been overlooked for centuries. Patience may be a virtue, but these eight groundbreaking discoveries reveal that laziness, messiness, clumsiness, and even outright foolishness can also lead to remarkable achievements.
1. Anesthesia (1844)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: Recreational drug useLesson Learned: Sometimes, an excess of something good can surprisingly lead to positive outcomes
Discovered in 1772, nitrous oxide was initially seen as nothing more than a source of entertainment. While small doses induced laughter (earning it the nickname "laughing gas"), larger amounts rendered users unconscious. Despite these effects, no one had considered its potential application in medical procedures like surgery.
In 1844, Hartford dentist Horace Wells had a breakthrough after observing a nitrous oxide incident at a social gathering. A friend, under the influence of the gas, sustained a severe leg injury but felt no pain, only realizing the extent of the injury when others noticed the blood. This sparked Wells' idea of using the gas for pain relief during dental procedures.
To validate his theory, Wells conducted an experiment on himself. After inhaling a substantial amount of nitrous oxide and losing consciousness, he had a decayed tooth extracted. Upon waking, he experienced no pain, confirming the gas's effectiveness.
Eager to showcase his findings, Wells organized a public demonstration at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, miscalculating the gas's onset time, he removed the patient's tooth too soon, causing the patient to scream in agony. This failure led to Wells' disgrace and eventual exit from dentistry. Later, after being arrested under the influence of chloroform, he took his own life. It wasn't until 1864 that the American Dental Association officially acknowledged his contribution to anesthesia.
2. Iodine (1811)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: Industrial accidentLesson Learned: Seaweed holds treasures beyond imagination
In the early 1800s, Bernard Courtois was a celebrated figure in Paris, running a factory that produced saltpeter, a crucial component for ammunition and a highly sought-after resource in Napoleon's France. To maximize profits, Courtois devised a cost-effective method to obtain potassium by harvesting seaweed from the shores, burning it, and extracting potassium from the ashes.
One day, while cleaning the extraction tanks, workers mistakenly used a stronger acid than usual. Suddenly, mysterious purple clouds erupted from the tank. Once the fumes settled, Courtois observed dark crystals forming on surfaces exposed to the vapor. Analysis revealed these crystals to be a new element, which he named iodine, derived from the Greek word for "violet." Iodine, abundant in seaweed, was later found to prevent goiters, a condition caused by iodine deficiency. This discovery led to the routine addition of iodine to table salt.
3. Penicillin (1928)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: A messy workspaceLesson Learned: Complaining about your job to friends can sometimes lead to breakthroughs
Alexander Fleming, a Scottish scientist, was notoriously lax about keeping his workspace tidy. His desk was often cluttered with small glass dishes containing bacteria cultures collected from boils, abscesses, and infections. Fleming left these cultures untouched for weeks, either hoping for an interesting development or waiting for someone else to clean them up.
One day, Fleming decided to clean the bacteria-filled dishes by submerging them in a tub of disinfectant. Just as his discovery was about to be lost, a friend visited the lab. As they chatted, Fleming jokingly complained about his workload and dramatically pulled a dish from the tub, which had (luckily) not yet been submerged. He noticed a spot of fungus on the dish that had killed the surrounding bacteria. This fungus, identified as a rare strain of penicillium, had entered through an open window.
Fleming conducted tests and discovered that the fungus could kill harmful bacteria without damaging human tissue. However, he struggled to produce it in large quantities and doubted its effectiveness in treating diseases. In a paper, he downplayed its potential, and penicillin might have faded into obscurity. Fortunately, a decade later, another team of scientists built on Fleming's work, using advanced methods to mass-produce one of the most revolutionary drugs in medical history.
4. The Telephone (1876)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: Limited foreign language proficiencyLesson Learned: Even a little knowledge of German can go a long way
During the 1870s, engineers were focused on developing a method to send multiple messages simultaneously over a single telegraph wire. Fascinated by the problem, Alexander Graham Bell began exploring potential solutions. After reading a book by Hermann Von Helmholtz, Bell mistakenly believed the author suggested transmitting sounds over a wire, though the book made no such claim. Despite the misunderstanding, Bell was inspired and decided to pursue the idea.
The project turned out to be far more challenging than Bell anticipated. Alongside his mechanic, Thomas Watson, he tirelessly worked to create a device capable of transmitting sound. After numerous attempts, they eventually succeeded, leading to the invention of the telephone.
5. Photography (1835)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: ProcrastinationLesson Learned: Sometimes, delaying tasks can lead to unexpected breakthroughs
Between 1829 and 1835, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre was on the verge of creating a practical method for producing photographs, but he hadn't quite achieved his goal yet.
Daguerre had discovered how to capture an image on highly polished plates coated with silver iodide, a material sensitive to light. However, the images produced were faint, and he struggled to find a way to enhance their visibility.
One day, after creating another unsatisfactory image, Daguerre placed the silver-coated plate in his chemical cabinet, planning to clean it later. When he returned a few days later, the image had darkened and become perfectly clear. Daguerre deduced that one of the chemicals in the cabinet had reacted with the silver iodide, but he couldn't identify which one due to the large number of chemicals stored there.
For weeks, Daguerre removed one chemical from the cabinet each day and placed a new exposed plate inside. Each time, the results were disappointing. Finally, after testing the last chemical, he decided to place the plate in the now-empty cabinet as he had done initially. The image darkened as expected. Upon inspecting the cabinet shelves, Daguerre discovered that a broken thermometer had left traces of mercury, which had vaporized and interacted with the silver iodide to produce the darker image. This revelation led to the incorporation of mercury vapor into his process, resulting in the invention of the Daguerreotype photograph.
6. Mauve Dye (1856)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: Overambitious goalsLesson Learned: True innovation can come from unexpected failures
In 1856, William Perkin, an 18-year-old British chemistry student, aimed to create a synthetic form of quinine, the primary treatment for malaria. Despite his noble intentions, he lacked the necessary expertise to achieve his goal.
Perkin experimented by combining aniline, a coal-tar derivative, with propylene gas and potassium dichromate. While the mixture didn't explode, it resulted in a black sludge at the bottom of his flask. As he cleaned the container, he noticed the sludge turned water purple. Further experimentation revealed the purple liquid could effectively dye fabrics.
With financial support from his father, Perkin launched a dye business, and his synthetic mauve dye quickly gained popularity. Before his discovery, purple dye was extracted from Mediterranean mollusks, making it prohibitively expensive. Perkin's affordable alternative not only revolutionized the dye industry but also laid the foundation for modern organic chemistry.
7. Nylon (1934)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: Procrastination at workLesson Learned: Sometimes, playful experimentation leads to breakthroughs
In 1934, DuPont researchers were tasked with creating synthetic silk. Despite months of effort, they had little success, and project leader Wallace Hume Carothers considered abandoning the project. Their closest achievement was a liquid polymer resembling silk, but it was impractical in its liquid form. Frustrated, the team shifted focus to experimenting with polyesters, which seemed more promising.
One day, a young scientist, likely bored, noticed that by gathering polyester on a glass rod, he could pull thin strands from the beaker. Amused by this discovery, he and his colleagues began a playful competition to see who could create the longest strands. As they raced down the hallway with their rods, they realized that stretching the material reoriented its molecules, transforming it from liquid to solid.
While the polyesters they experimented with weren't suitable for textiles, the team revisited their earlier silk-like polymer. Unlike polyester, this material could be drawn into strong, solid strands ideal for weaving. This breakthrough led to the creation of Nylon, the first fully synthetic fiber.
8. Vulcanized Rubber (1844)
Mistake Leading to Discovery: A mix of obsession and clumsinessLesson Learned: Sometimes, accidents can lead to groundbreaking discoveries
In the early 1800s, natural rubber was impractical, melting in heat and cracking in cold. Many attempted to stabilize it against temperature changes, but success eluded them until Charles Goodyear entered the scene. According to his account, the determined businessman became fixated on solving rubber's challenges and began experimenting by mixing rubber with sulfur over a stove. One day, he accidentally spilled the mixture onto the hot surface, and instead of melting, it hardened like leather, revealing a breakthrough.
Historical records, however, paint a slightly different picture. Goodyear reportedly learned about combining rubber and sulfur from another inventor, and it was his partner who accidentally dropped the mixture onto a hot stove. Recognizing the potential, Goodyear spent months perfecting the right blend of rubber, sulfur, and heat. Although he popularized the term "vulcanization," it was first used by an English rival. Goodyear patented the process in 1844 but spent his life battling legal disputes over its ownership, leaving him in financial ruin. Ironically, the rubber industry later flourished, with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company becoming a major player.
This article originally appeared in a 2009 issue of mental_floss magazine.
