Oops, I Changed the World

Pavlov’s investigations into dog digestion lead to phone addiction. A failed quest to find a safer refrigerant creates Teflon. A damaged delivery crate is instrumental in the invention of dynamite. And a chance encounter with a composer leads Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr to invent the basis for wifi.

The failed experiment and the world’s greatest crime-fighting tool. A clumsily dressed cut leads to the invention of plastics. How chance conversation and sausage poison changed the face of Hollywood. And a broken thermometer sets in motion a chain of events that frees a country from colonialism.

Clumsy gesticulation throws a sample onto a stove, accidentally inventing vulcanized rubber. Grabbing the wrong resistor leads to the pacemaker. Up a failed experiment ignites- discovering a safe way to create flame on demand. A search for new galaxies leads to our best hope of contacting aliens.

Fumes from a broken thermometer cause the invention of photography. Radar parts and a melting snack bar lead to the microwave. Spilling a beaker of experimental chemicals gives rise to Scotchgard. And a routine trial of heart drug has a much more pronounced effect on another organ- becoming Viagra.

A dirty laboratory and a vacation lead to the discovery of our first real weapon against bacteria: penicillin. A scientist’s determination to test the ‘wrong’ solution gives us Kevlar. Unwashed hands and some unexpectedly sweet bread is to thank for Saccharin. A failed laser becomes the LED light.

A swiss chemist’s attempts to make a lung drug results in LSD. The son of enslaved parents tires to reverse the fortunes of sharecroppers and inadvertently gives rise to PB&J. A failed dye becomes TNT. And a prison camp doctor and a fridge full of urine lead to improve mental healthcare.