Seven greatest accidental inventions

San Antonio Express-News ^ | 04/04/2010 | Source: www.spike.com/blog/top-7-greatest/91870

[Responsibility2nd]

1. Penicillin

2. The Microwave

3. Coca-Cola

4. Velcro

5. Potato Chips

6. Dynamite

7. WD-40

[TheThirdRuffian]

My first and third daughters were accidents.

Actually, so was my fifth, but that was more alcohol-induced negligence than accident.

[historyrepeatz]

WD-40 is also great to use on stainless steel appliance doors (refrig’s, etc.).. First you clean with 409, or something like that, then you buff with WD-40. Looks great and no streaks.

[TheThirdRuffian]

You should have seen what they went through to get formula 409. This is 410; they backed away:

[Cheetahcat]

Lexan

[50sDad]

Look, though....clearly an IM-plosion. Looks more like an artificial singularity in a 1G standard grav field.

[whd23]

I can’t recall the comedian who quipped (I’m paraphrasing): “What happened to the guys who tested Preperation A through G?”

[Vision Thing]

I’m glad I wasn’t the person who ‘accidentally’ discovered dynamite. If I was, I probably would not have survived to file the patent application.

[OB1kNOb]

Velcro was no accident. Everyone knows the government got it from the dead aliens crashsite in Roswell, New Mexico........../tinfoil

[catnipman]

This is nonsense.

Velcro was not an accidental invention: See

Neither was Dynamite: See

Nor Coca Cola: See

Or the potato chip: See

Or WD-40: See

[Responsibility2nd]

You DO know the person that invented dynamite, don’t you?

He is now well known for useless prizes that should be found in Cracker Jack boxes.

[Responsibility2nd]

Great. There’s always one in every thread.

A common sense poster who comes along with the facts.

Sheesh.

/sarc

[Sax]

Looks like someone in the schoolhouse just tried to divide by zero!

[IYAS9YAS]

Velcro was not an accidental invention: See

The inspiration for it was. The creation of it was not.

[Plutarch]

These inventions should be called serendipitous, not accidental.

True examples include:

Goodyear and vulcanization of rubber.

Teflon

[Vinnie]

Rogaine..
Originally a drug for high BP.

Hairy palms was a side effect. :)

[unixfox]

You DO know the person that invented dynamite, don’t you?

Nobel, as in Nobel prize.

[vamoose]

Post-it notes

[HenpeckedCon]

Your list is complete BS. Here are the 7 best real accidental inventions.

1. Beer
2. Beer
3. Beer
4. Beer
5. Beer
6. Beer
7. Beer

[hellbender]

Yo. Here da man:

[catnipman]

Velcro was not an accidental invention: See

The inspiration for it was. The creation of it was not.

Personally, I wouldn't label keen observation and intellectual curiosity as "accidental".