Some scientists are born to naturally experiment on new things with the objective of inventing, while others become unexpected targets of unintentional experiments that lead to life-changing innovations and discoveries that bring them acclaim. It is said that it is preferable to be lucky than good. Here are 5 of the most notable and well-known unintentional innovations in human history.
1. Microwave Oven
Percy Lebaron Spencer, a Raytheon engineer in 1945, was experimenting with magnetrons to transmit microwave signals, which were employed in the early radar system. When he discovered a melted sweet in his pocket one fine day, he decided to construct a container box using microwaves released by a magnetron, which likewise caused the candy to melt. He had no idea that his unintentional observation had resulted in the microwave oven that the modern world uses.
2. X-Rays
Did you know that the machine that is used in all medical facilities today was also invented by accident? In 1895, while experimenting with radiation cathode-producing rays, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen made an unintentional breakthrough that gave rise to X-rays.
He noticed that the fluorescent light in his lab was glowing as he was turning on the cathode rays. He covered the screen, but the glow persisted until he inadvertently placed his palm between the screen and the tube, revealing the outline of his bones. As a result, X-rays were invented by accident.
3. Radioactivity
Henri Bacquerel did an unintentional experiment as a result of the discovery of X-rays, which led to the discovery of radioactivity by the married scientists Pierre and Marie Curie. It happened when Henri covered all of his equipment in fabric and stored it in a drawer during the winter season.
When he returned, he discovered a charred image on the photographic plate due to uranium crystal contact. And it was as a result of this unintentional experiment that the power of nuclear weapons was discovered.
4. Penicillin
By leaving an unclean petri plate, Alexander Fleming inadvertently invented Penicillin. When he returned from vacation, the petri dish, which had initially contained Staph bacteria, had grown mold, which had killed all of the bacteria remaining in the dish. Penicillin notatum was the name he gave to the mold, which led to the discovery of Penicillin, an antibacterial drug that is now used all over the world.
5. Pacemaker
Can you conceive of accidentally invented medical equipment that uses electrical impulses to regulate the heart's beat? Thank Wilson Greatbatch, an assistant professor who, while experimenting with cardiac monitoring, unintentionally pulled the wrong resistor from the toolbox.
He used a 1-megaohm resistor instead of a 10,000-ohm one, which caused the circuit to behave differently. Since then, his unintentional invention has saved many lives.