Oops, I Changed the World

Pavlov’s investigations into dog digestion lead to phone addiction. A failed quest to find a safer refrigerant creates Teflon. A damaged delivery crate is instrumental in the invention of dynamite. And a chance encounter with a composer leads Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr to invent the basis for wifi.

The failed experiment and the world’s greatest crime-fighting tool. A clumsily dressed cut leads to the invention of plastics. How chance conversation and sausage poison changed the face of Hollywood. And a broken thermometer sets in motion a chain of events that frees a country from colonialism.

Clumsy gesticulation throws a sample onto a stove accidentally inventing vulcanized rubber. Grabbing the wrong resistor leads to the pacemaker. Up a failed experiment ignites- discovering a safe way to create flame on demand. A search for new galaxies leads to our best hope of contacting aliens.

Fumes from a broken thermometer cause the invention of photography. Radar parts and a melting snack bar lead to the microwave. Spilling a beaker of experimental chemicals gives rise to Scotchgard. And a routine trial of heart drug has a much more pronounced effect on another organ- becoming Viagra.

A dirty laboratory and a vacation lead to the discovery of our first real weapon against bacteria: penicillin. A scientist’s determination to test the ‘wrong’ solution gives us Kevlar. Unwashed hands and some unexpectedly sweet bread is to thank for Saccharin. A failed laser becomes the LED light.

A swiss chemist’s attempts to make a lung drug results in LSD. The son of enslaved parents tires to reverse the fortunes of sharecroppers and inadvertently gives rise to PB&J. A failed dye becomes TNT. And a prison camp doctor and a fridge full of urine lead to improve mental healthcare.

A failed blood pressure medicine and an unexpectedly hairy woman lead to a cure for baldness. How messing around with a scientific toy gave us the x-ray. An attempt to stop the paper curling in a newspaper printer becomes air conditioning. And why war is responsible for the slinky.

A clumsy lab worker leads to the invention of superglue. And the accidents behind neuroscience beer and chemical hair relaxant.

A misguided attempt to make plastic wallpaper results in bubble wrap. The precursor to a blood clotting drug becomes rave favorite MDMA. A mopped-up kitchen spill brings us smokeless explosive guncotton. A defective satellite lens leads to a new way to identify breast cancer.

The accidents behind the inventions of post-it notes Ex-lax Graphene and the way a walk in the snow almost leads to nuclear Armageddon.

A failed metal designed for gun barrels becomes kitchen favourite: surgical steel. Messing around in a spectacle maker’s shop leads to the telescope. A bag of dirt from a remote island contains a bacteria that helps stop aging. Pulling burrs off his dog’s coat leads to the invention of Velcro.

The search for an artificial form of quinine accidently creates the first artificial dye Mauvine. A failed dry-cleaning fluid results in Saran Wrap. An attempt to grow bacteria in the lab leads to a cancer killing drug. And how nurses on the Western front invented sanitary towels.

How a party drug from the 19th Century and a banged knee lead to the invention of anaesthetics. Electrotherapy and the true story behind the invention of telephone. A dropped experiment shatters resulting in material of the future; smart dust. And an ancient attempt to make cheese gave us tofu.

The unexpected stories behind the inventions of the teabag the gin & tonic Disulfiram and American female politicians.

How a failed poison gas detector results in the invention of the smoke detector. A Russian genius tries to measure gas density but ends up with musical instrument; the Theremin. A dropped beaker eventually leads to bulletproof glass. And the search for a new gunpowder that gives us iodine.