How a melted candy bar changed the way we cook

What if I told you some of the most recognizable, everyday things we use, like the microwave oven or Post-it notes, and other revolutionary inventions like penicillin or Velcro, came about by accident? That’s right; they weren’t necessarily the result of careful planning, but the byproduct of other experiments that unintentionally led to their findings. Keep reading to learn about 10 fascinating discoveries that occurred by accident.

Penicillin became the first widely used antibiotic and went on to save millions of people from deadly bacterial infections. But this wasn’t what its creator, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, was trying to do in the first place.

In 1928, he went to his laboratory and noticed that in one of his bacterial culture dishes, a mold had grown accidentally and killed the surrounding bacteria. This small accident sent him down a path to figure out what happened and eventually led him to discover what we know as penicillin.

One day, a scientist was working with a magnetron as always when he suddenly realized that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. Surprised by this, he brought popcorn kernels close to the magnetron and watched them pop; finally, he tried an egg, which heated up and burst.

The scientist was Percy Spencer, and he had just laid the foundations for creating the first commercial microwave oven, called the Radarange, which was introduced in 1947, opening the door to a whole new way of cooking.

How did a fake glue become a billion-dollar idea? Scientist Spencer Silver was trying to create a powerful glue in 1968, but instead, he ended up with an adhesive that was strong enough to stick to surfaces but incredibly easy to peel off without leaving much residue.

Instead of regarding this as a failure, he thought it might have some practical use, though his idea was dismissed multiple times by others. Finally, in 1974, another scientist called Art Fry realized Silver’s glue could hold a bookmark in place, which, after years of experimenting, led to the invention of a single piece of paper that could stick and be removed without damaging the surface: the Post-it notes.

An upset chef in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1853, after a fussy customer complained his potatoes were too thick, served him extremely thin potatoes fried in oil as a joke. Turns out, the customer loved it, and the dish became known as "Saratoga chips."

It’s fair to mention that this popular snack wasn’t 100% invented there, as there are records of a similar recipe in an 1817 English cookbook, though the Saratoga chef certainly helped popularize it.

While Velcro was indeed created and patented by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral in 1955, the reality is that nature had invented it first. What triggered Mestral's "eureka" moment was seeing some burrs stuck to his clothing and his dog’s fur when returning from a hunting trip.

He was curious about how the burr could stick so firmly, and after studying it with a microscope, he saw that the burr had some tiny hooks that attached to the fabric and the animal fur, so he decided to replicate the same principle to create Velcro.

In 1938, a chemist and DuPont worker called Roy Plunkett was working with tetrafluoroethylene gas, trying to come up with new refrigerants, though he ended up creating a completely new material. At some point while doing his experiments, he noticed the gas had turned into a waxy solid "thing" that was extremely resistant to heat and chemicals and was highly nonstick.

The material was first used in industrial and military applications and later became associated with the brand name Teflon, mainly used as a coating for cookware.

Scientists first rejected Super Glue because it was too sticky — ironic, isn’t it? The story makes more sense when you learn that the initial goal of Harry Coover Jr. and his team in 1942 was to find a material to make clear plastic gun sights during World War II.

The material they were experimenting with was too sticky and difficult to work with, so the team moved away from it, though Coover Jr. realized he had discovered a substance that could easily bond two surfaces together without the need to use heat or pressure. Later, this product went on to become what we all know now as Super Glue.

Kids love popsicles, but did you know it was also a kid who invented them? In 1905, Frank Epperson, an 11-year-old boy from San Francisco, forgot his soda with a wooden stirring stick outside overnight on his porch. The next morning, the thing was frozen, and he noticed he could hold it by the stick and eat it like a frozen treat.

At first he made them for his family and friends, but later he started selling his invention. The popsicle became a sensation, particularly during the Great Depression, as it was an affordable treat for the family.

Imagine being a serious naval engineer working on a serious engineering problem and accidentally creating one of the most fun and iconic toys ever. That’s exactly what happened to Richard James, who in 1943 was trying to make springs to help stabilize sensitive equipment aboard ships when one of them accidentally fell and "walked" away.

James saw the opportunity to make a toy out of that and showed it to his wife, who named it "Slinky." The naval engineer sold the toy to Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in 1945, and Slinky was an immediate success.

The whole point of laminated safety glass is that its pieces won’t fly apart when it breaks. The discovery was made by chemist Édouard Bénédictus in the 1900s, when one of his laboratory flasks fell and did not completely shatter because it had a thick coating of a type of plastic that helped hold the pieces together.

This accident made him realize that putting a flexible material between layers of glass prevents broken glass from flying apart. His discovery is still used today in vehicles and buildings.

ORGANIZED HOME, ORGANIZED MIND

The Ultimate Guide To Home Organization: Tips For A Clutter-Free Home

Image: Douglas Sheppard

We all know keeping a house organized takes time, energy, and even money at times. But none of those are enough when you don’t know how to get the organization ball rolling.

Organization, whether it is for a house or personal, can be a powerful tool to gain control over every aspect of your life. But that is not the only benefit of having an organized home, by learning some techniques, you can maximize your spaces and make them functional to your lifestyle.

Read on and see which of these tips you can put into practice today!

Image: HiveBoxx

The first step to becoming an organization expert is to declutter. Decluttering means removing everything you don’t need or use, or everything that is broken or is no longer functional to you or your family.

To declutter successfully you have to be honest with yourself about those things you keep out of attachment, for example. Assess your home, and everything you own, and get rid of everything that no longer serves you any purpose to create new free space.

Consider selling or donating the things you don’t use but keep in a good state!

Image: Bench Accounting

After assessing your space and removing everything you don’t use or need, start creating zones in your home. This will allow you to allocate specific areas for different activities or moments of your everyday life. For example, if you work from home, consider having a separate working space, and set up a desk with everything you need.

Establishing clear zones will make it easier to keep track of your belongings and create a more functional living space. Not to mention having specific zones for each activity will strengthen your routine and habits.

Image: Jarek Ceborski

After you have created different zones, assign specific homes for each item. For example, you may place a container for the keys by the main door; or a rack for the shoes you use frequently. Having a designated area and a specific home for each of your belongings will help you keep your home organized at all times.

Moreover, you will avoid losing objects and, every time you need something, you will know exactly where to go look for it. The only thing you have to work on after doing this is taking a moment every day to put things back where they belong after you have used them.

Image: Annie Spratt

Once you have taken the previous steps, you are ready to invest in storage solutions and this will feel like a pivotal step towards organization. Storage solutions will make your house both functional and visually appealing. The right containers and organizers not only help you declutter (because the space is limited), but they will also help you ensure everything has a designated spot and maintain order.

Look for available options within your area, but consider using baskets, bins, plastic containers, or any other storage item that works for you. If you still haven’t got the budget for this, use plastic containers you already have, you can always go back on this step to prioritize aesthetics.

Image: Tamara Malaniy

If you choose to use colored containers, labels come in quite handy. Even with clear containers, labels will help you quickly locate items. Moreover, if there are small children in the house, labels can help them find the right container for their stuff easily which will, ultimately, strengthen their own organizational habits and independence.

Labels give uniformity and coherence to a space and you can either make them yourself or use an electronic label maker.

Image: Myriam Zilles

This is a smart strategy to maintain your space clutter-free and well-organized throughout the year. Seasonal items such as clothes, decorations, sports equipment, and more specific items like suitcases can be kept in special areas like the garage or on the highest shelves of a closet.

As you can imagine, the first step to do this is to assess your belongings and categorize them by season.

As you pack away off-season items, take the opportunity to assess their condition and decide whether anything needs to be repaired or replaced before the next season.

Consider using hard-material containers to keep your belongings well protected and avoid any possible damages unforeseen events may cause.

Image: vadim kaipov

When you don’t have much space for furniture or your furniture is full of stuff (if they are, you should go back to the first tip!) vertical and dead spaces are a great solution to maximize space and create alternative areas.

You can install shelves or hanging organizers to keep your belongings off the floor and on common surfaces like the dining table. On a similar note, you can take advantage of areas such as under the bed, and behind the doors to keep appropriate stuff.

This not only creates additional storage space but also adds visual focus points to your home decor.

Image: Pierre Bamin

When defining specific areas and homes for your belongings prioritize two things: quick location and easy accessibility. Vertical space can only be used so much, that is, there is no point in having a shelf for mugs if you have to get a ladder to reach one every morning for breakfast. The same goes for kids’ wardrobes, they will never be able to hang their own clothes if they can’t reach the hangers or the rail.

Prioritize placing items in the space you most frequently use them and within reach so you don’t have to move things around, hence, creating a mess around one single item. Keep essentials accessible and less frequently objects higher up or in less accessible places.

Image: Anete Lusina

Regardless of how digital our lives can be, a house is always full of important items, especially paperwork. Developing and working on a system for managing it will foster organization in the house, but also your personal life and finances.

Consider investing in a filing cabinet or organizer and set aside a time and day each week to sort out paperwork. Create folders for different types of documents and label them accordingly to make it easier to find what you need when you need it. And never forget the first step, declutter when necessary, and get rid of old bills or documents that are irrelevant to your present life.

Image: Paico Oficial

Rome wasn’t built in a day, organizational habits weren’t either, so, be patient and find ways to foster your habits. Create routines for tidying up and maintaining organization. For example, divide the chores within the week. That way, you will ensure everything gets done at least once a week. Laundry on Saturdays, bathroom cleaning on Sundays and Thursdays, and so on.

Now, within a day, create small routines that guarantee everything is in its place before you go to sleep. There is nothing like waking up to a clean and organized home every day, this will boost your inspiration and productivity.