Top 10 Unintentional Discoveries

Many of humanity's most significant breakthroughs have been the result of pure chance. Without these unplanned revelations, the world we know today would be unrecognizable. Here is a list of the 10 most remarkable accidental discoveries.

10. Viagra

In 1992, a group of hardworking individuals in the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil made an unexpected discovery while testing a new angina medication: the drug had an astonishing effect on sexual performance. This serendipitous finding would be ranked higher if not for the fact that it is responsible for about 90% of the spam I receive daily!

As the story goes, Mrs. Wakefield, the owner of the Toll House Inn, was preparing chocolate cookies but ran out of traditional baking chocolate. In a moment of creativity, she used broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate, expecting them to melt and blend into the dough. However, they didn’t, and the chocolate chip cookie was born. Wakefield eventually sold the recipe to Nestle for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips, opting not to patent it and make millions! Today, every bag of Nestle chocolate chips in North America carries a version of her original recipe on the back (with margarine now added as an alternative to butter for those trying to convince themselves it's healthier).

The Popsicle was created by an 11-year-old who kept the invention a secret for 18 years. Frank Epperson, in 1905, left a mix of powdered soda and water on his porch with a stir stick inside. That night, San Francisco's temperatures dropped dramatically. When Epperson woke the next morning, he found the mixture had frozen to the stick, creating a fruity ice treat that he called the 'Epsicle.' Eighteen years later, he patented it and renamed it the Popsicle.

Cyclamate's sweetness, like many artificial sweeteners, was discovered by chance. Michael Sveda was working on synthesizing an anti-fever medication when he accidentally placed his cigarette on the lab bench. Upon returning it to his mouth, he realized the sweet taste of cyclamate. Similarly, in 1965, James M. Schlatter, a chemist at G.D. Searle & Company, discovered aspartame's sweetness while working on an anti-ulcer drug. After unintentionally contaminating his finger with aspartame and licking it, he noticed its sweet taste. Saccharin, the oldest artificial sweetener, was first synthesized in 1878 by Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist at Johns Hopkins University. Fahlberg was working with coal tar derivatives when he accidentally discovered its intensely sweet flavor.

Initially, wine was distilled as a method of preservation and to make it easier for merchants to transport. It was also believed that wine was distilled to reduce the taxes based on volume. The goal was to reintroduce the water removed during distillation back into the brandy just before consumption. Over time, it was discovered that storing the distilled product in wooden casks enhanced its flavor. Although the person responsible for discovering the exquisite taste of this distilled liquor remains unknown, it is clear that their discovery was guided by divine intervention for the benefit of humanity.

Teflon was accidentally invented by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals in 1938. While attempting to create a new CFC refrigerant, Plunkett found that perfluorethylene polymerized inside a pressurized container. In this initial reaction, the iron from the container's interior acted as a catalyst. In 1954, French engineer Marc Grégoire, inspired by his wife, used the material he had been applying to fishing tackle to coat a frying pan. The brand name Tefal was born. Teflon is virtually inert to all chemicals and is known as the slipperiest material on Earth, surpassed only by the political maneuvering of President George Bush.

Percy LeBaron Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon, was walking past a radar tube when he noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. Realizing that he might have stumbled upon something revolutionary, he placed a bowl of popcorn in front of the tube, and it popped all over the room. Thanks to him, millions of people now enjoy the convenience of quickly prepared meals!

The invention of the potato chip is credited to George Crum, who was of both Native American and African American descent. This occurred at Moon’s Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York, on August 24, 1853. The idea came after a customer continually complained about the thickness and sogginess of his potatoes. In frustration, Crum sliced the potatoes as thin as possible, rendering them impossible to eat with a fork. To his surprise, the customer loved them. These thin, crispy treats were then added to the menu under the name 'Saratoga Chips' and became a key contributor to the obesity crisis in the Western world.

LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, was first synthesized on November 16, 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland. It was part of a research initiative aimed at discovering medically useful derivatives of ergot alkaloids. Its psychedelic properties, however, were not discovered until five years later. On April 16, 1943, Hofmann experienced a bizarre sensation while reworking the chemical. After feeling dizzy and returning home, Hofmann described a sensation of intoxication, vivid and extraordinary images, and a dreamlike state. The effects lasted around two hours. This day is now famously called Bicycle Day, and you can read more about it on Wikipedia.

In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish scientist, was researching Staphylococcus, the bacteria responsible for food poisoning. One day, he discovered a blue-green mold that appeared to prevent bacterial growth. Upon further investigation, he identified it as a Penicillium mold. Despite his initial doubts about penicillin's ability to remain effective in the human body, he continued his research, eventually leading to clinical trials in 1934. The development of penicillin for medical use was largely credited to Australian Nobel Laureate Howard Walter Florey, who shared the Nobel Prize with Fleming and Ernst Boris Chain.

This list is a direct quotation from the Wikipedia article 'Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.'