The 20 Most Famous Objects That Were Originally Mistakes

Penicillin

Sometimes, the greatest breakthroughs happen when you least expect them. Alexander Fleming made history in 1928, not by following a brilliant plan, but by accidentally leaving a petri dish of bacteria uncovered.

When he returned, he saw mold killing the bacteria around it. That mold, Penicillium notatum, became the first true antibiotic, penicillin.

This simple laboratory mishap sparked a revolution in medicine, slashing deaths from infections that were once untreatable. By the 1940s, penicillin was saving thousands of soldiers’ lives in World War II.

According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate from bacterial infections plummeted after penicillin’s discovery. It’s hard to imagine modern medicine without this serendipitous mistake.

X-rays

Wilhelm Röntgen wasn’t looking to change the world when he stumbled upon the invisible. In 1895, while experimenting with cathode rays, Röntgen noticed a fluorescent screen glowing from across the room, even though it shouldn’t have.

That eerie glow led him to discover X-rays, letting doctors see inside the human body for the first time without surgery. Medical diagnostics would never be the same.

Röntgen’s accidental find earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Today, millions of X-ray exams happen every day, helping to diagnose anything from broken bones to pneumonia, making this one of the most valuable mistakes in history.

Microwave Oven

Percy Spencer was just minding his own business in a lab in 1945, working with radar technology, when he noticed a chocolate bar melting in his pocket. That odd occurrence got him curious—what if microwaves could cook food?

Spencer started experimenting and soon, the microwave oven was born. The first commercial model, the Radarange, hit the market in 1947.

Fast forward to today: over 90% of American homes have a microwave. It’s hard to picture a modern kitchen without one, all thanks to a melted snack and a moment of wonder.

Pacemaker

Wilson Greatbatch wasn’t trying to save lives the day he put the wrong resistor into a circuit in 1956. But that tiny error made a huge difference.

Instead of recording heart sounds, the device emitted electrical pulses—mimicking a heartbeat. Greatbatch realized he’d stumbled onto something big: an electronic pacemaker.

This invention has transformed cardiac care, giving millions of people with heart rhythm issues a second chance at life. More than 3 million pacemakers have been implanted around the world.

Sometimes, the wrong part can be just right.

Viagra

Viagra is proof that science can surprise you in the most unexpected ways. In the 1990s, researchers at Pfizer were testing a new drug for angina, a heart condition, but the results were underwhelming—until men in the study began reporting an astonishing side effect.

Instead of helping their hearts, the drug was affecting something else entirely. The discovery led to the launch of Viagra in 1998, quickly becoming the most famous treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Millions of prescriptions are filled each year, and it’s become a pop culture icon. What started as a failed heart drug now generates billions in revenue.

Potato Chips

Not every invention starts with a smile. In 1853, chef George Crum was fed up with a picky customer who kept sending back his fried potatoes, complaining they were too thick.

Out of spite, Crum sliced the potatoes as thin as possible and fried them until crispy. To everyone’s surprise, the customer loved them.

Thus, the potato chip was born, quickly spreading across the United States and eventually the world. Today, the global potato chip market is worth more than $30 billion.

Who would have guessed that a grudge could taste so good?

Popsicles

It’s not every day an 11-year-old invents a summer staple. In 1905, Frank Epperson accidentally left a glass of flavored soda water with a stirring stick outside overnight.

The cold turned it into a frozen treat on a stick. Years later, Epperson patented his accidental creation as the “Epsicle,” which soon became known as the Popsicle.

Now, over 2 billion Popsicles are sold every year, each one a sweet reminder that sometimes, it pays to forget your drink outside.

Corn Flakes

The Kellogg brothers were on a mission to make healthy food for patients at their sanitarium in the late 1800s. They cooked up some wheat but left it sitting out for too long.

When they rolled it out, the result wasn’t dough, but flakes. Undeterred, they toasted the flakes and served them up—creating a breakfast revolution.

Corn flakes became an American classic, and the Kellogg Company, founded in 1906, still dominates the cereal aisle today with billions in annual revenue. One batch of neglected dough changed breakfast forever.

Coca-Cola

Few brands are as iconic as Coca-Cola, but its start was anything but ordinary. In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton was aiming to create a medicinal tonic to cure headaches and nervous disorders.

His original recipe contained alcohol and cocaine, a far cry from today’s family-friendly soda. The drink was later reformulated and became the sweet, fizzy beverage we know now.

Today, more than 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola are consumed every day, making it one of the most popular drinks on the planet.

Champagne

Dom Pérignon was actually trying to get rid of bubbles in wine, not create them. In the late 1600s, he struggled to make a still wine, but the fermentation process kept producing bubbles.

Instead of failure, he found fame—the sparkling wine became Champagne. The drink now symbolizes celebration and luxury, with the Champagne industry valued at over $5 billion.

Millions of bottles are popped every year, all because of a monk’s battle with a bubbly mistake.

Teflon

Roy Plunkett was on the hunt for a new refrigerant gas in 1938 when he stumbled onto something unexpected. He found a slippery, white material that wouldn’t stick to anything—polytetrafluoroethylene, soon known as Teflon.

This accidental discovery revolutionized everything from cookware to industrial machinery. Non-stick pans became a kitchen essential, and the non-stick cookware market alone is worth over $2 billion.

Teflon’s “slip-up” proved to be a major win for households everywhere.

Plastic (Bakelite)

Leo Baekeland was trying to create a replacement for shellac, a natural resin, in 1907. What he got instead was Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic.

Bakelite didn’t just substitute for shellac—it launched the era of plastics, changing manufacturing and daily life forever. From telephones to jewelry, Bakelite was everywhere, paving the way for the global plastics industry, which is now worth trillions.

A failed experiment became the foundation for the modern world.

Safety Glass

Edouard Benedictus, a French chemist, dropped a glass flask coated with cellulose nitrate in 1903. Instead of shattering, the glass cracked but held together.

That accident led to the creation of safety glass, which is now used in car windshields and skyscraper windows. Safety glass has saved countless lives by preventing dangerous shards from flying in accidents.

Today, it’s an essential part of construction and transportation, all because of a fortunate drop.

Silly Putty

World War II drove scientists to search for a rubber substitute, and in 1943, they accidentally created Silly Putty. Instead of a durable material for machinery, they ended up with a stretchy, bouncy substance.

It wasn’t useful for the war, but it became a hit with children. Since then, millions of eggs of Silly Putty have been sold, and it remains a classic toy.

Sometimes, what doesn’t work for industry ends up being perfect for play.

Post-it Notes

At 3M in 1968, Spencer Silver was aiming for a super-strong glue, but he ended up with one that barely stuck. It didn’t seem useful—until a colleague, Art Fry, used it to anchor his bookmarks in a church hymnal.

The weak, removable adhesive turned into Post-it Notes, launched in 1980. Today, more than 50 billion Post-its are sold every year, a staple of offices and homes everywhere.

A failed glue became an organizational miracle.

Slinky

Richard James was working on ship stabilizers in 1943 when a spring accidentally fell off his workbench. He watched it “walk” down a set of stairs and realized it could be a toy.

The Slinky was born, captivating children for generations. Over 300 million Slinkys have been sold since then.

It’s hard to imagine a simpler toy, or a more unlikely origin, than a dropped spring in a Navy lab.

Velcro

George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, took his dog for a walk in 1941 and noticed burrs clinging to its fur. Curious, he studied them under a microscope and saw tiny hooks.

That observation led to Velcro, a hook-and-loop fastening system that changed everything from fashion to aerospace. Velcro’s simple, nature-inspired design is now used in clothing, shoes, and even on spacesuits.

A pesky burr became a revolutionary fastener.

Super Glue

During World War II, Harry Coover was looking for materials to make clear plastic gun sights when he came across a formula that bonded instantly to almost anything. It was too sticky for his original purpose, but eventually became Super Glue.

Today, Super Glue is in toolboxes and junk drawers around the world, making quick fixes possible. Millions of tubes are sold every year, all thanks to a formula that just wouldn’t let go.

Matches

John Walker, an English chemist, was mixing chemicals in 1826 when he accidentally scraped a stick on the hearth and it burst into flame. He had invented the first friction match.

Before matches, starting a fire was slow and difficult—now, it was as easy as striking a stick. Matches soon became a household essential, with billions made every year.

All it took was one accidental spark.

Inkjet Printer

Innovation sometimes starts with a burnt mistake. A Canon engineer accidentally touched a hot soldering iron to a pen and saw ink shoot out.

This simple mishap led to the invention of the inkjet printer. Today, inkjet printers are everywhere, in homes and offices, printing everything from work documents to family photos.

The global market for inkjet printers is worth over $10 billion, all thanks to a single, curious accident.