Failed projects yielded important inventions

Electric pen wrote on skin

The famous American inventor Thomas Alva Edison could never have imagined the turn of his invention when he patented his electric pen in 1876. The pen was intended as an aid for copying handwritten texts.rnThe New Yorker Samuel O'Reilly, however, saw completely different possibilities for Edison's invention. O'Reilly, a well-known, enterprising tattoo artist, visited a store that sold Edison's pen and attended a demonstration.rnIt gave him an idea, and so in 1891 he applied for a patent for the world's first electric tattoo machine - based on the technology of the electric pen.rnThe new machine revolutionized the tattoo industry and soon replaced the old, traditional methods, where a tattoo was made by manually scratching and pricking ink on the skin.

Student joke led to flying toys

At the end of the 19th century, some students had a nice idea. The round cake tins that Frisbie Pie Company used turned out to be perfect to throw, and soon the silver-colored baking tins flew everywhere.rnIn 1957 the toy manufacturer Wham-O re-launched the flying toy under the name 'Frisbee', after the director of Wham-O heard the story about the flying cake molds at American universities.

Modeling clay saved company

The carpet cleaner from Kutols was disappointing. But then the company discovered that children used the product to play with. That was the rescue. From now on, Kutols sold the carpet cleaner as ... modelling clay.

Overcooked porridge led to successful breakfast cereals

According to the strict-faith Kellogg brothers, masturbation was a serious sin. And it was their belief that simple, healthy food would make sexual drives disappear.rnThat's why they constantly improved their vegetarian breakfast. For example, they passed cooked wheat dough through a roller to get thin slices of wheat. One day in 1894 the wheat boiled over, and when the brothers rolled the dough, flakes formed.rnThe youngest brother further developed the flakes by cooking corn kernels with malt, salt and sugar. That's how he made the corn flakes that we know today.

Painkiller conquered the world

The pharmacist John Stith Pemberton was working day and night in his primitive laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, to develop a drug that would work against all kinds of ailments.rnThe big breakthrough came in 1885 when Pemberton mixed a number of secret ingredients, known as merchandise 7X, in a brass kettle. The ingredients formed a delicious syrup, which had to make a serious headache disappear.rnTo stimulate sales, Pemberton asked Jacobs' Pharmacy a year later if it wanted to distribute its new drink.rnThis pharmacy had a soda machine and soon realized that the medicine would be easier to drink if some carbon dioxide was added. This paved the way for Coca-Cola as we know it today.rnIn 1886 Jacobs' Pharmacy sold 13 glasses of Coca-Cola a day. Nowadays it is the most widely distributed product in the world.

Visor improver became super glue

Harry Coover experimented with liquid acrylic in the Second World War to improve the sight of the soldiers' gun. Unfortunately, the staff did not have the desired effect, and Coover set it aside.rnOnly in 1951 did he see the potential of the sticky messes. After Coover glued two camera lenses together, he asked two technicians to separate the lenses again.rnThat proved impossible. In the following years, Coover improved its formula, and in 1958 super glue came on the market in the United States.

Moisture-resistant tape sticks everything

Duct tape was developed for the US Army in 1942. The assignment was to make a strong adhesive tape to seal ammunition boxes so that no moisture could penetrate.rnIt soon became apparent that the invention could be used for many more purposes - such as the repair of weapons, aircraft and vehicles.

Spiral was army material

The spiral spring was originally intended to protect vulnerable instruments in American warships in World War II.rnBut when engineer Richard James dropped the spring off his desk, he got an idea: he would turn his invention into a toy. In 1947, the Slinky was the most popular toy in the country and James was able to add millions to his account.

Chemist saw the light - in bright colors

In fact, the Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann was looking for a remedy for migraine. But what he invented was a substance that caused people to see an explosion of colors and shapes.rnHofmann was the creator of the hallucinogenic drug LSD, which made the colorful 1960s even more colorful. He synthesized LSD as early as 1938, but the material did not work as Hofmann intended, and therefore ended up on the shelf until 1943, when the chemist accidentally took the failed painkiller. "I saw a continuous stream of fantastic images with special shapes and a kaleidoscopic play of colors," Hofmann later told about the world's first LSD trip.rnEventually the hallucinations became so intense that he thought he was possessed by a demon and that Albert Einstein was after him with a kitchen knife. Nevertheless, Hofmann subsequently referred to the experience as "medicine for the soul."rnHe was convinced that LSD could have a beneficial effect as part of psychoanalysis.

Microwaves became everybody's

In 1945 the engineer Percy Spencer worked for the American electronics company Raytheon, which did assignments for the Ministry of Defense. The company made tubes for radar installations that emitted microwaves with a frequency of 2.5 gigahertz.rnOne day, when Percy Spencer walked past such a tube, he noticed that the chocolate bar was melting in his pocket. His curiosity was immediately aroused, and he realized that water, fat and carbohydrates respond to microwaves with frequencies around 2.5 gigahertz.rnHe started experimenting until he was convinced of the connection. As a result, Raytheon developed the first microwave oven and applied for a patent.rnThe Radaring model was water-cooled, weighed 340 kilos, was 1.7 meters high and was initially only used in kitchens in restaurants and institutions.

Failed experiment became rescue for the man

Since 1998, the small, blue erection pill Viagra has been doing wonders in the bedroom. It was not originally intended that the invention be used to help impotent men get started.rnThe manufacturer that developed the pill, Pfizer, was looking for a remedy for high blood pressure. Although Pfizer's clinical tests failed, the company discovered that the drug stimulated erection in men.rnThat is why Viagra was patented in 1996 as a remedy for erection problems, and two years later it was marketed under that name.rnToday, the erection pill accounts for a turnover of 1.6 billion euros per year.

From atomic bomb to bicycle chain

In 1953 the inventor Norm Larsen developed a substance that could prevent atom bombs from rusting.rnAfter 40 tests, WD-40 was a fact. In the beginning, the anti-rust agent was reserved for the American weapons space industry, but in 1958 it came to the store. Now, for example, the spray is used against grinding bicycle chains.

Deadly drink became gunpowder

Gunpowder was originally invented as an elixir of life. But the mixture literally exploded in the face of Chinese alchemists around 850 AD. The deadly invention naturally aroused the interest of the Chinese army.rnIn 1160, the Chinese produced 3.2 million explosive weapons a year.

Mistake made the heartbeat longer

Wilson Greatbatch worked on a device to record the heartbeat in 1956. But when he accidentally installed the wrong electrical component, the pacemaker generated electrical impulses instead of recording them.rnAccording to Greatbatch himself, he stared 'suspiciously at the invention' until he realized he had found a way to stimulate the heartbeat. For two years the American inventor struggled to make his groundbreaking device as small as possible, and in 1960 the pacemaker was first implanted in a human.rnThe 77-year-old man who received the pacemaker lived another 18 months. Now the electronic pacemaker extends the lives of many people worldwide.