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1. GREAT INVENTIONS BY
ACCIDENT
BY ANDREA SUSAN JACOB
U2401034
S4 ECA

2. INTRODUCTION
 Not all great inventions were planned
 Not every mistake is a failure, some turn into inventions
 Many inventions we use every day like microwave ovens, Super Glue,
and Post-it Notes were discovered by mistake.
 Some inventions happened because someone paid attention to
accidents instead of ignoring them.

3. TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED:
 Medical and Life-Saving Accidental Inventions
1. Penicillin (Alexander Fleming)
2. X-rays (Wilhem Röntgen)
3. Pacemaker(Wilson Greatbatch)
Microwave Oven (Percy Spencer)

4. Food and Everyday Items We Use
1. Potato chips (George Crum)
2. Corn Flakes (Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and Will Keith
Kellogg)
3. Saccharin(Constantin Fahlberg )
Sticky Failures That Became Successes
1. Post-it Notes (Spencer Silver and Art Fry)
2. Super Glue (Dr. Harry Coover)
3. Teflon(Dr. Roy Plunkett)

5. THE POWER OF SERENDIPITY
 Aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
 being open to accidents and surprises can turn failures into inventions
 Smart +lucky discovery=serendipity
 “Faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident”-
Horace Walpole

6. WHY THIS TOPIC MATTERS TO ENGINEERS:
 Great engineers stay curious
 Observe failures
 Communicate findings
 Mistakes Can Be Valuable
 Innovation Isn’t Always Planned, some breakthroughs happen
when engineers are flexible and open-minded.
 Encourages Experimentation

7. CONCLUSION:
Mistakes are not always failures; they can lead to innovations
that change the world.
The key is curiosity, observation, and openness to
unexpected results, which is the power of serendipity.
Sometimes, a happy accident is all it takes to change the
world

8. REFERENCES:
 Wikipedia, Serendipity, 2025. [Online]. [Accessed: 04-Jan-2026]
 R. M. Roberts, Serendipity:Accidental Discoveries in Science,
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1989. [Accessed: 04-Jan-2026]
 J. Hutchinson,“Accidental scientific discoveries,” EBSCO
Research Starters, 2022. [Accessed: 04-Jan-2026]
A Book reference:
 R. M. Roberts, Serendipity:Accidental Discoveries in Science.
New York, NY, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1989.

9. Medical & Life-Saving
Accidental Inventions
Chris George
U2401064

10. Penicillin: Accidental Antibiotic Revolution
1928 Lab Mishap:
• Fleming was investigating on why
antiseptics failed to kill Staphylococcus
bacteria during World War I wound
treatments.
• In August 1928, he growed Staphylococcus
bacteria on petri dishes and left them near
an open window. Alexander

11. • The cold temperature in London allowed the mold to grow.
• Clear "lysis zone" shows mold secretes a substance killing
bacteria. Fleming isolates it and names it “penicillin”.
Breakthrough Observation:
Fungi on Petri Dish

12. Challenges:
• Published in 1929 but hard to isolate, saved a few lives in 1930s
trials.
• Revival came in 1939 when Oxford's Howard Florey and Ernst
Chain creating ways to extract penciliin.
Global Impact:
• In the 1940s, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain scaled up
production, slashing sepsis deaths.
• First antibiotic - saved 200 million lives.
"I did not invent penicillin. Nature did that. I only discovered it
by accident." -Alexander Flemming

13. X-Rays: Glowing Shadows to Diagnostic
Powerhouse
1895 Physics Experiment:
• On November 8, 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen was doing
his daily routine on studying cathode ray tubes.
• In a dark room, he covered his Crookes tube with
heavy black cardboard to ensure no visible light
escaped, focusing solely on cathode ray behavior.
• Expecting isolation, he noticed a faint green light
Wilhelm Röntgen

14. Breakthrough Observation :
• On Further experiments, he revealed that this new
ray was capable of passing through most substances.
• These rays shadowed denser materials like bone or
metal producing shadow images on photographic
plates.
.
• The first X-ray was of his wife's hand with wedding
ring, in December 1895.
Legacy:
• WilhelmRoentgenwonNobelPrizein1901.
.
• Revolutionized Scanning Machines, CT scan,
Battlefielddiagnostics.
First X -
Ray

15. BIBLIOGRAPH
Y
• Columbia Surgery, “History of Medicine: Dr. Roentgen’s Accidental X-Rays | Columbia University
Department of Surgery,” Columbiasurgery.org, Sep. 17, 2015.
https://columbiasurgery.org/news/2015/09/17/history-medicine-dr-roentgen-s-accidental-x-rays
• American Chemical Society, “Alexander Fleming Discovery and Development of Penicillin - Landmark,”
American Chemical Society, Nov. 19, 1999.
https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html
• H. Markel, “The Real Story behind Penicillin,” PBS NewsHour, Sep. 27, 2013.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-real-story-behind-the-worlds-first-antibiotic
• R. Gaynes, “The Discovery of Penicillin—New Insights After More Than 75 Years of Clinical Use,”
Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 849–853, May 2017, Available:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403050/
• “November 8, 1895: Roentgen’s Discovery of X-Rays,” Aps.org, 2025.
https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2001/11/1895-roentgens-discovery-xrays?
‌
• A. Press, “The Penicillin Myth,” Asimov.press, Nov. 24, 2025. https://www.asimov.press/p/penicillin-myth
(accessed Dec. 30, 2025).

16. Great Inventions By Accident
Food Inventions
By: Akshay Aby Joy
Class: S4 EC-A
UID: U2401020
Roll no: 18

17. Potato Chips (1853):From Anger to
Iconic Snacks
● Inventor: George Crum, a chef in USA
● Customer complained fries were too thick
● Crum sliced potatoes very thin in anger
● Result: Crispy chips loved by customers
● Impact: One of the world’s most popular snacks

18. Corn Flakes (1894):A Breakfast
Revolution
• Inventors: Kellogg Brothers
• Wheat dough was accidentally left stale
• On rolling, the wheat broke into flakes
• Toasted flakes became crunchy
• Impact: Birth of breakfast cereal industry

19. Saccharin (1879): Sweetness from a
Lab Mistake
• Inventor: Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist
• Forgot to wash hands after lab work
• Noticed sweet taste while eating
• Traced sweetness to a chemical saccharin
• Impact: First artificial sweetener

20. Ice cream cone (1879): A Sweet
Solution by Chance
• Inventors: Ernest Hamwi and Italo Marchiony
• At a World fair, an ice cream seller ran out of
plates
• Hamwi rolled a waffle to hold his ice-cream and
the cone was born
• Impact:Ice cream cones became a popular, fun
treat

21. Bibliography
● admin, “10 Foods That Were Invented by Accident - Youth in Food Systems,” Youth in
Food Systems - Engaging Youth in Food Exploration., Oct. 20, 2025.
https://seeds.ca/schoolfoodgardens/10-foods-that-were-invented-by-accident/
(accessed Dec. 30, 2025).
● M. and Co, “Accidental Invention: Corn Flakes,” Custom Powder Systems, Mar. 01,
2022. https://custom-powder.com/accidental-invention-corn-flakes/
● “Accidental Invention: Saccharin | Custom Powder Systems,” Custom Powder
Systems, Apr. 11, 2024. https://custom-powder.com/accidental-invention-saccharin/
● “Welcome To Zscaler Directory Authentication,” Indiatimes.com, 2025.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/9-delicious-foods-that-
were-invented-by-accident/articleshow/123455032.cms (accessed Dec. 30, 2025).
● K. Guite, 51 Accidental Inventions that Changed the World. 2019.

22. Sticky Failures That
Became Successes

23. Super Glue

24. • The invention of Super Glue, also known as cyanoacrylate, began as
an accidental discovery in 1942 by Dr. Harry Coover, a chemist at
Eastman Kodak.
• While researching materials for clear plastic gun sights during the
war, he encountered a substance that bonded strongly to almost any
surface, but it was initially considered impractical.
• In 1951, Dr. Coover and his colleague Fred Joyner rediscovered
the compound during another project and recognized its
potential as a fast-acting adhesive.
• The product was commercially released in 1958 as “Eastman 910”
and later became known as Super Glue. Its ability to bond
instantly and its wide range of uses have made it an essential
product in homes and industries around the world.

25. Post-it Notes

26. • Post-it Notes were invented by Spencer Silver and Art Fry at
3M between 1968 and 1980 as the result of an accidental
scientific discovery.
• Spencer Silver was trying to create a strong adhesive, but instead
developed a weak, reusable adhesive that could be removed
easily without leaving marks.
• At first, this invention was considered a failure because it did not
meet its intended purpose.
• Several years later, Art Fry discovered a practical use for the
adhesive as a bookmark that would stay in place without
damaging pages. This idea led to the creation of Post-it Notes,
which are now widely used for reminders, page marking, and
organizing work in schools, offices, and homes worldwide.

27. Velcro

28. • Velcro was invented by George de Mestral in 1941 and was
inspired by an observation from nature.
• During a walk with his dog, he noticed that burrs repeatedly stuck to
his clothes and the dog’s fur.
• Curious about this behavior, he examined the burrs under a
microscope and discovered that they contained tiny hooks that allowed
them to cling firmly to fabric.
• This natural fastening system gave him the idea to create a man-made
version.
• He developed two fabric strips one with hooks and the other with
loops that stick together when pressed and can be easily separated and
reused. This invention, called Velcro, is now widely used in clothing,
shoes, bags, medical equipment, and even space suits.

29. Bibliography
“Harry Coover | Lemelson-MIT Program,” Mit.edu, 2011. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/harry-coover
History of Simple Things, “The Story Behind Super Glue: Its Surprising Origins,” YouTube, Aug. 15,
2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgpeNiS6xqE
“An Idea That Stuck: How George de Mestral Invented the Velcro Fastener,” USA, Nov. 11, 2016. https://
www.velcro.com/news-and-blog/2016/11/an-idea-that-stuck-how-george-de-mestral-invented-the- velcro-
fastener/
C. Skonord, “Post-it Notes: An Innovative Employee Idea That Was Originally a Mistake,” Ideawake, Feb. 19,
2021. https://ideawake.com/post-it-notes-employee-idea-that-was-originally-mistake/
3M, “History Timeline: Post-it® Notes,” Post-it®, 2024. https://www.post-it.com/3M/en_US/post-it/contact-
us/about-us/

30. Conclusion
THE MICROWAVE OVEN: A HAPPY
ACCIDENT (1945)

31. Microwave Oven - Accidental
Innovation
 Inventor: Percy Spencer (Raytheon engineer)
 Context: Working with radar magnetrons during
WWII
 Unexpected observation:
 Chocolate bar in his pocket melted
 Curiosity-driven testing:
 Tried popcorn → kernels popped
 Tried egg → exploded
 Outcome:
 Realized microwaves could heat food
 Led to the world's first microwave oven

32.  First commercial microwave: Radarange (1947)
 Size of a refrigerator
 Extremely expensive
 Gradual improvements:
 Smaller size
 Safer shielding
 Lower cost
 Today:
 Found in millions of homes worldwide
 Changed how we cook, reheat, and preserve food
From Lab Discovery to Everyday
Technology

33. Conclusion
 Many of the world's most important inventions were not planned, but
discovered by paying attention to the unexpected.
 The microwave oven shows how curiosity, careful observation, and
communication can turn a small accident into a life-changing technology.
 Engineering is not just about solving problems - it's about noticing
surprises, learning from mistakes, and improving ideas over time.
 By staying curious, documenting our work, and sharing results, we give
serendipity a chance to become innovation.