1. Microwave
In 1945, while testing microwave radiators for radar equipment, engineer Spencer from Thor felt something was wrong and found that a piece of chocolate in his pocket had melted. He speculated that it might be the microwave emitted by the magnetron that melted the chocolate, realizing that microwaves could be applied to kitchen cooking, and thus the microwave oven was born.
2. Saccharin
In 1879, after completing experiments, Ira Lemson and Constantine Fahrenberg went home to eat. While eating, Fahrenberg exclaimed in surprise that he had forgotten to wash his hands before meals, and the food he was handling had a strange sweetness. As a result, they unexpectedly discovered an artificial sweetener – saccharin.
3. Stuffed toys
In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was trying to find a way to secure the sensitive instruments on the ship with springs to prevent them from shaking. Then he casually tapped and found that the thing did not fall to the ground, but gently bounced upwards and then returned to its original state. Nowadays, this type of spring has become a toy for many people during their childhood, with global annual sales of about 300 million units.
4. Rubber clay
Pudding was originally designed as a cleaning product with average sales, but market research found that it was used by elementary school students to make Christmas decorations. Based on this result, the company immediately adjusted its product direction by removing the cleaning agent from the putty, adding paint and a pleasant odor, making it the most popular toy in the world.
5. Polytetrafluoroethylene
In 1938, chemist Roy Planktor examined an experiment he conducted in a freezer. He checked a container that should have been filled with gas and found that the gas had disappeared, leaving only some white spots on the container wall. Planck was very interested in these mysterious chemicals and began conducting experiments again. In the end, this new substance was confirmed to be a peculiar lubricant with a very high melting point, which was the polytetrafluoroethylene he accidentally discovered.
