01 Verified
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928.
🧾 See the receipt
“Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by the Scottish physician Alexander Fleming”
Source: Penicillin, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
Inventions Discovered by Accident
A melted candy bar, a glue that was too sticky, and a sweet taste on a chemist's hand.
- 02 Verified
The microwave oven began when radar waves melted a candy bar in an engineer's pocket.
🧾 See the receipt
“While employed at Raytheon, he noticed that microwaves from an active radar set he was working on started to melt a candy bar he had in his pocket.”
Source: Microwave oven, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 03 Verified
Post-it Notes came from a failed attempt to make a super-strong glue.
🧾 See the receipt
“In 1968, Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M in the United States, attempted to develop a super-strong adhesive. … Instead, he accidentally created a "low-tack", reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive”
Source: Post-it note, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 04 Verified
Velcro was inspired by burrs stuck to the inventor's clothes and his dog's fur.
🧾 See the receipt
“He took a close look at the burs of burdock that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur.”
Source: Hook-and-loop fastener, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 05 Verified
Super Glue was first rejected because it stuck to everything.
🧾 See the receipt
“stumbled upon a formulation that stuck to everything with which it came in contact. … The team quickly rejected the substance for the wartime application”
Source: Cyanoacrylate, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 06 Verified
Saccharin was discovered when a chemist noticed a sweet taste on his hand.
🧾 See the receipt
“Fahlberg noticed a sweet taste on his hand one evening, and connected this with the compound benzoic sulfimide on which he had been working that day.”
Source: Saccharin, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 07 Verified
Teflon (PTFE) was discovered by accident in 1938.
🧾 See the receipt
“Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was accidentally discovered in 1938”
Source: Polytetrafluoroethylene, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 08 Verified
The Slinky was invented after an engineer saw a spring 'step' off a shelf.
🧾 See the receipt
“James, a naval mechanical engineer, observed a spring "stepping" downward after being knocked off a shelf”
Source: Slinky, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 09 Verified
Play-Doh started out as a wallpaper cleaner.
🧾 See the receipt
“The product was first manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s.”
Source: Play-Doh, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 10 Verified
X-rays are called 'X' because their discoverer didn't know what they were.
🧾 See the receipt
“X-rays were discovered in 1895 by the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who named it X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation.”
Source: X-ray, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 11 Verified
Safety glass was inspired by a dropped flask that cracked but didn't shatter apart.
🧾 See the receipt
“Laminated glass was invented in 1903 by the French chemist Édouard Bénédictus (1878–1930), inspired by a laboratory accident”
Source: Laminated glass, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
- 12 Verified
Corn flakes were first made for patients at a sanitarium.
🧾 See the receipt
“The cereal, originally made with wheat, was created by Will Kellogg in 1894 for patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium”
Source: Corn flakes, Wikipedia. Checked 2026-10-31.
More fact files
Animals · 11 factsAnimal Oddities That Sound Made UpThree hearts, cube-shaped poop and a punch that boils water. Every one comes with its receipt.Earth & Ocean · 11 factsEarth's Most Extreme PlacesThe hottest, coldest, deepest and driest spots on the planet, with the numbers to prove it.Food · 10 factsSurprising Origins of Everyday FoodBananas are berries, peanuts aren't nuts, and Caesar salad has nothing to do with Julius.