Accidental Discoveries
Louis Pasteur is famously quoted as saying "chance favours the prepared mind", but how can you prepare yourself for the chance discovery of mindbending substances such as LSD or Cornflakes? Claire Chmarny takes a look at some of the best accidental discoveries the world has ever seen.
TOP TEN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERIES
Cornflakes
Yes those toasted flakes of corn were invented purely by accident by Kellogg brothers Will and John.
As they were members of a group of Seventh-day Adventists they had to follow a strict vegan diet. The brothers also worked at a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, and had to prepare food for the patients. On the morning of April 14th 1894 they left out some cooked wheat to sit, when they returned to the wheat they saw that it had gone stale.
But being low on money they decided to try and make dough anyway and ended up forcing the stale wheat through the rollers. What they got was not dough but lots of flakes, which they then toasted and served to the patients. They proved to be very popular, especially when served with marshmallows and milk.
In 1906 the brothers fell out because Will decided to add sugar to the cereal to make its taste appeal to a wide audience. While Will went off to found the Kelloggs company and do really rather well, John kept on at the sanatorium and specialised in ‘curing’ masturbators, male and female. His unconventional techniques involved circumcision, application of acid to the clitoris and yoghurt enemas.
Meanwhile, Will was offering a free book with every two boxes of Cornflakes; this promotion ran for 22 years, proving considerably more popular than the up-your-bum yoghurt treatments.
It’s also interesting to note that an ex-patient of the sanitarium where the brothers worked set up rival cereal company ‘Post Toasties’.
Viagra
The scientists that discovered Viagra where originally setting out to find a cure for high blood pressure and angina.
After a series of clinical trials carried out in the Welsh mining village Merthyr Tydfil, it became apparent that the drug wasn’t having any effect on their angina but things were stirring in the trouser department.
The search for an angina cure was abandoned as the company decided to market the new found drug as an aid for erectile dysfunction. It hit the shelves in the US and proved very popular as the sales of Viagra exceeded $1 billion within 3 years.
Play-Doh
That’s right the squidgy, smelly stuff, that mum always used to moan got trodden into the carpet, was also an idea found by accident.
The inventors where originally trying to find something that would clean wallpaper when they stumbled upon this moldable stuff. The exact ingredients in Play-Doh have been kept a trade secret till this day.
It was first sold in 1956 and there is actually a National Play-Doh Day - the 18th of September if you were wondering. And if you just can’t get enough of the smell of Play-Doh then you could always buy the perfume. Released in honour of Play-Doh’s 50th anniversary, the scent was made by Demeter Fragrance Library.
Yes those toasted flakes of corn were invented purely by accident by Kellogg brothers Will and John. As they were members of a group of Seventh-day Adventists they had to follow a strict vegan diet. The brothers also worked at a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, and had to prepare food for the patients. On the morning of April 14th 1894 they left out some cooked wheat to sit, when they returned to the wheat they saw that it had gone stale.
But being low on money they decided to try and make dough anyway and ended up forcing the stale wheat through the rollers. What they got was not dough but lots of flakes, which they then toasted and served to the patients. They proved to be very popular, especially when served with marshmallows and milk.
In 1906 the brothers fell out because Will decided to add sugar to the cereal to make its taste appeal to a wide audience. While Will went off to found the Kelloggs company and do really rather well, John kept on at the sanatorium and specialised in ‘curing’ masturbators, male and female. His unconventional techniques involved circumcision, application of acid to the clitoris and yoghurt enemas.
Meanwhile, Will was offering a free book with every two boxes of Cornflakes; this promotion ran for 22 years, proving considerably more popular than the up-your-bum yoghurt treatments.
It’s also interesting to note that an ex-patient of the sanitarium where the brothers worked set up rival cereal company ‘Post Toasties’.
Viagra
The scientists that discovered Viagra where originally setting out to find a cure for high blood pressure and angina.After a series of clinical trials carried out in the Welsh mining village Merthyr Tydfil, it became apparent that the drug wasn’t having any effect on their angina but things were stirring in the trouser department.
The search for an angina cure was abandoned as the company decided to market the new found drug as an aid for erectile dysfunction. It hit the shelves in the US and proved very popular as the sales of Viagra exceeded $1 billion within 3 years.
Play-DohThat’s right the squidgy, smelly stuff, that mum always used to moan got trodden into the carpet, was also an idea found by accident.
The inventors where originally trying to find something that would clean wallpaper when they stumbled upon this moldable stuff. The exact ingredients in Play-Doh have been kept a trade secret till this day.
It was first sold in 1956 and there is actually a National Play-Doh Day - the 18th of September if you were wondering. And if you just can’t get enough of the smell of Play-Doh then you could always buy the perfume. Released in honour of Play-Doh’s 50th anniversary, the scent was made by Demeter Fragrance Library.
Gunpowder, microwaves and LSD - NEXT PAGE >
How about trying one of our other top tens:
How about trying one of our other top tens:- Top Ten Crazy Xmas Gifts
- Top Ten Geek Holidays
- Top Ten Stupid Science Studies
- Top Ten Work-related Ills
- Top Ten Killer Vegetables
- Top Ten Weird Drinks
- Top Ten Grim Parasites
- Top Ten Things Science Hasn't Explained
Images: Steve Woods (cornflakes); w (penis pills)
Share this
