There are many products and tools on the market today that were unheard of a few decades ago. Amid all sorts of improvements, brand new items have been invented as well. However, not all of these amazing things were created on purpose. In fact, there are many accidental inventions that changed the world!
Many people start out not knowing how to invent something new and go on to create something amazing. A pharmacist from Georgia, John Pemberton, accidentally concocted Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most popular soft drinks. He was attempting to create a syrup to cure headaches and ended up with a sweet cola that eventually caught on in Atlanta. Popsicles were also invented by accident, when Frank Epperson left a drink with a stirrer outside overnight in the cold.
Plastic is something that the modern world uses and relies on every day. In 1907, Leo Baekeland was trying to create an alternative to shellac when he produced a new material that was able to be molded and could withstand high temperatures. This substance was named Bakelite and is the ancestor of modern plastics.
The pacemaker, which is relied on by thousands of heart patients to help them stay alive, was an accidental invention. American Wilson Greatbatch was hard at work trying to create a circuit to help record heart sounds. While piecing together the item, he reached into his work box, intending to pull out a 10,000 ohm resistor piece. Instead, he accidentally pulled out and attached one rated at 1 megaohm. He completed the circuit, and voila, the pacemaker was born.
These examples are proof that one does not have to know how to invent something new to make a difference. Sometimes a great idea is created accidentally and goes on to change our way of life. Accidental inventions that changed the world as we know it are a great example of the power of human ingenuity-intended or not.