12 UNBELIEVABLE INVENTIONS
THESE FAMOUS PRODUCTS WERE DESIGNED FOR ONE THING, BUT FOUND SUCCESS DOING SOME THING COMPLE TELY DIFFERENT
Words by Scott Dutfield
© Getty
Some of the world’s greatest inventions and scientific discoveries were found by accident. For example, where would we be today if the discoverer of penicillin, Alexander Fleming, hadn’t gone on holiday in 1928 and returned to find a fungus killing bacteria in his Petri dishes?
History is awash with examples similar to Fleming’s unexpected discovery. Like the humble Post-it Note, which was created by Dr Spencer Silver in 1968. His experiments with strong adhesives instead left him with a substance that lacked the grab of glue, but could stick to surfaces and peel away easily. Teflon is another product where a discovery was made by chance. In 1938, Dr Roy J. Plunkett was experimenting with different refrigerant gases, including tetrafluoroethylene (TFE). In one refrigerator the gas appeared to be missing, but upon further inspection, Plunkett found that the TFE had polymerised into a white powder called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This new substance was super slippery and had a high melting point, making it perfect for creating non-stick kitchenware. Some discoveries were made after an invention had already hit the supermarket shelves. They’re proof that just because something is created for one purpose doesn’t mean it can’t be used more successfully for another. Here are some of the world’s most famous products with the most surprising origin stories.
THE SCIENCE
BEHIND SLINKIES
The story goes that the Slinky’s inventor, Richard T. James, first discovered the recreational use of the metal spring while working as a naval battleship engineer during the early 1940s. James was developing coils of metal called tension springs that were used on ocean vessels to hold onboard equipment in place. While working at his desk, one of these springs fell and began to ‘walk’. Seeing the potential to market the tension spring as a toy, he took the idea home to his wife Betty, who named it the Slinky after looking through a dictionary.