25 Accidental Inventions That Revolutionized Our World

Humans are responsible for a host of accidental inventions. It makes sense when you think about it. As humans, we're essentially walking accident-machines. Some of these accidents are simple - such as stubbing our toes on the coffee table or tripping on our own shoe laces - and some are major - such as instigating an avalanche while skiing. But then there are the accidents which revolutionize our world. Accidents that gift humanity with an illusive piece of a puzzle resulting in an extravagant masterpiece. It's here this list will focus on - accidents which resulted in inventions that changed our world for the better (or, maybe some weren't so revolutionary, such as Silly Putty, but it depends on who you ask). Some accidental inventions such as the microwave, stainless steel, or our #1 accidental invention play principal roles in our daily lives and it would be difficult to imagine life without them (which makes you wonder, how did they manage to live back then...I digress). Necessity may be the mother of invention, but accidents are the bases of our best inventions. Read on to find out what might not have existed today had it not been for a mistake in this list of 25 accidental inventions that revolutionized our world.

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What would our world be without these revolutionary inventions:

Coca-Cola
LSD
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Popsicles
Penicillin
Microwave Oven
Slinky
Stainless Steel
Viagra
Saccharin
Wheaties
Corn Flakes
X-Rays
Dynamite
Post-It Notes
Anesthesia
Silly Putty
Pacemaker
Ice Cream Cones
Potato Chips
Matches
Superglue
Velcro
The Color Mauve
Plastics

[addyfray]

Thank you for making these videos, it really brings my family together!!! I love all your videos. Thank you so much!

[RANDOMCHICKENTHING]

Isnt it crazy how many other inventions could have been created/ discovered but werent due to lack of interest or just thrown away from failure

[panthersarmy]

You guys are my favorite list channel! 😄 You Always make great videos and I'm always checking for more

[spacebound]

Excellent again guys
💯 recommend this channel 👍

[AaronShenghao]

FACT CORRECTION: 10.  Anesthesia was recorded been used in China thousands of years before the "Accident invention of anesthesia WITH Nitrous Oxide." You can also count the RUM consumption before amputation on ships in Victorian era as anesthesia too. 8. The concept of pace maker was actually described in 1889 by John Alexander MacWilliam in British Medical Journal. And multiple others had invented similar device as early as 1926.

[faithwoborders]

If I have searched it correctly, Harry Brearley did not invent stainless steel until 1913. It was invented by Elwood Haynes in 1912. It came about because his was wife "was tired of polishing silverware". He went back to his lab and found something he had already created; stainless steel. Both Brearley and Haynes were very intelligent men.

[missrrjohnson]

Interesting tidbit about dynamite.  If it freezes, the nitroglycerin can come out of suspension and therefore explode when handled roughly- so in the winter, miners in the mountains (like in Colorado) would sleep with their dynamite to keep it warm.

[adun]

Would a candy bar not be the first food cooked with a microwave?

[LEVHF]

Biggest surprise to me is one missing from the list.

Someone at DuPont was trying to create a new refrigerant gas.
One day, his boss chewed him out for forgetting to clean a glass container, but the glass actually had been run through the cleaner. They found themselves unable to get the polytetraflouroethane off of the inside of the glass.
They would later trademark it as Teflon.

[jimcub]

Plastic was invented at winnington uk, a waxy residue was left over from an experiment which was polythene, went on to refine it to leave small round balls. Polythene went on to be refined as the forunner for plastics

[veritasenigma]

Penicillin should be number one, because of the amount of lives it has saved.

[BangerW]

I really really enjoy these videos, and also this voice actor

[unevenspleener]

Number 9: Yes, I think we can all agree that Silly Putty has revolutionized our world.

[CaseyLabAnimations]

literally, when you said SLINKY was an accidental invention, I WAS HOLDING A SLINKY!
luminati

Slinky is a good fidget toy

[BrickForSheep]

Microwave was set to 4:20. Coincidence? I think not

[russg]

It wasn't the 'chocolate chip cookie' it was the "Toll House cookie" and it was invented/discovered at the Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, MA. The old building burned to the ground years back but there's still a plaque at the site to commemorate the discovery. Nestle bought the rights to name and trade-marked it which is why they're now commonly called "chocolate chip."

[Singhka]

This is the most knowledgable video in the longest time

[ginosmovies]

I accidentally met my future wife, and after 40 years I am still trying to monetize my discovery ! Oh wait! we have three beautiful children, we are blessed! Peace and love and happiness to all the good people of the You Tuber family.

[lissfirefly]

Technically, wouldn't the chocolate bar be the first microwaved food?

[alphawolf]

8:48 I once also found a dry lump forming on the end of my mixing stick