#5 The Microwave
Percy L. Spencer an engineer at Raytheon and a veteran of WW1 was an electronics innovator. One day in 1945, Spencer was working with a microwave emitting magnetron, and he started to feel a strange feeling in his pants. He realized that the chocolate bar in his pocket was beginning to melt due to the microwave radiation of the magnetron. He then realized the culinary uses that this could present and the microwave oven was then invented.
#4 Super Glue
In 1942, Dr. Harry Coover of Easton Kodak Laboratories found that the substance he created cyanoacrylate was a failure as using for a precision gun sight. The substance only stuck to everything that it came in contact with so he forgot about if for 6 years. He had the same trouble with another experiment, but he realized that this goop could bond things together without any heat. Cooper then got a patent for his invention and 16 years later it was on shelves being sold as super glue.
#3 The Slinky
In 1943, A navy engineer by the name of Richard James was experimenting with springs to stop sensitive instruments on board from rocking back and forward. When he was experimenting he knocked one of the springs over and instead of staying still it sprang back to it's original starting position. This led to the invention of the toy every kid has the slink which sells 300 million each year worldwide.
#2 Pace Maker
Wilson Greatbatch an assistant professor at the University of Buffalo thought he had ruined his experiment instead of using a 10,000 ohm resistor to use as a heart recording device he used a 1 megaohm variety. This created a signal that sounded for 1.8 milliseconds and stopped a second he realized this was exactly like a human heartbeat. He then realized that this could help regulate the heartbeat of the sick because the current technology was a huge bulky machine, but this could allow for the machine to be put in the chest cavity.
#1 X- Ray
In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen was working with cathode rays, when across the room he noticed a piece of fluorescent cardboard lighting up. A thick screen had been put in place between the cathode rays and the piece of cardboard, proving that particles of light were passing through the solid object. He realized that this radiation could produce an incredible image of the skeletons of humans, one of the first being of his wife's hand and thus the X- Ray was invented.
Cites
Biddle, Sam. “The 10 Greatest (Accidental) Inventions of All Time.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 26 Aug. 2010, www.nbcnews.com/id/38870091/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/t/greatest-accidental-inventions-all-time/#.W-GvQXpKiT8.
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