Science & TechnologyJUL 24, 2020

40 Times People Got Into Accidental Science Experiments And Here Are The Best Ones

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It’s no secret that some of the biggest things in human history were discovered utterly by accident. Penicillin and X-rays, to name just a few, are among them.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that game-changing inventions happen that often. And if Fleming returned from his two-week vacation to realize his petri dish had bacterial colonies that wouldn’t grow near the mold, it doesn’t mean two weeks by the sea would give you similar results.

That doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to play with chance and see where quasi-scientific DIY experiments will take us. Below is a collection of some of the most mildly interesting cases, like leaving a summer roll on a desk for 4 days to find it sprouting or quickly switching temperatures on a marble. Don’t ask why or what for—some things are meant to be "just because."

#1 What Happens When You Grow A Pumkin Inside A Plastic Mold

TheNameIsKevin

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#2 This Is What Happens When A Cat Touches A Plasma Ball

OddJug

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681points

#3 What Happens When You Swing A String Of Glow Sticks With Burning Steel Wool At The End And Take A Long Exposure Photo

Chris Matthew Brady

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As the turn of the wheel goes, some of the discoveries and inventions without which we couldn’t imagine our lives today were made solely by accident.

For example, all-time fave breakfast staple Cornflakes were made by Will and John Kellogg back in 1894. Due to their Seventh-day Adventist practices, they were experimenting with vegetarian food. As the story goes, some of the wheat went stale and they tried rolling it flat and baking it. It got popular, so they tried a maize alternative which turned out to be even better.

#4 This Is What Happens When You Put Horizontal Mirrors On A Shack In The Desert

AdamE89

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#5 This Is What Happens When Frogs Eat Fireflies

mtlgrems

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#6 This Is What Happens When You Heat An Ordinary Marble Over A Flame Then Immediately Drop It Into Cold Water

unicornheabutt

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Interestingly, the first popsicle is said to have been invented by an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson in 1905. The kid left a container of soda and water with its mixing stick inside on a porch overnight. In the morning, the original popsicle, marked as an Epsicle, was born thanks to a cold night and one child’s distraction.

Meanwhile, the jacuzzi was invented by Candido Jacuzzi back in the 1960s when the man made a whirlpool bath for his 15-month-old son who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.

#7 What Happens When Water Gets Really, Really Cold

angry_m0nkey

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#8 This Is What Happens When You Polish A Coconut

Roctopus420

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#9 This Is What Happens When A Lightning Hits Beach Sand

Criptufu

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Not many people know that safety glass, also known as laminated glass, was also discovered by complete chance. When French chemist Édouard Bénédictus knocked a glass beaker from the top shelf in his laboratory, he noticed that it shattered, but did not break completely.

It turns out, the beaker contained cellulose nitrate. It’s a type of plastic that left a film on the inside of the glass. The patent was filed in 1909 and is still in production today!