Incidental Inventions

MISTAKESTHATCHANGEDTHE WORLD

SUBMITTED BY- KIRTI

11814034
EE-2
CONTENT
1. Penicillin

2. X-Rays

3. Artificial Sweetener

4. Microwave Oven
 Penicillin
Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin by pure
accident; one day after returning home from his
vacations, he found a mould in one of his petri
dishes containing Staphylococcus, bacteria that
cause boils and sore throats. Interestingly, the
bacteria was growing on all parts of the dish except
the area surrounding the mould. Fleming concluded
that the mould - which turned out to be a rare strain
of Penicillin Notatum - inhibited the growth of
bacteria, and thus was born the most famous
antibiotic in the world.
 X-Rays
Rontgen was investigating cathode rays using a
fluorescent screen painted with barium
platinocyanide and a Crookes tube which he had
wrapped in black cardboard so the visible light from
the tube would not interfere. He noticed a faint green
glow from the screen. Rontgen realized some
invisible rays coming from the tube were passing
through the cardboard to make the screen glow.
Rontgen discovered its medical use when he made a
picture of his wife’s hand on a photographic plate
formed due to X-rays
 Artificial Sweetener
In 1879, after a long day of working with coal
tar, chemist Constantin Fahlberg came home
to have dinner with his wife without washing
his hands first. While eating his meal,
Fahlberg noticed that everything he put in his
mouth had a sweet taste, and discovered that
the saccharin on his hands, originating from
the coal tar that he had been working with,
was responsible.
 Microwave Oven
Percy Spencer was experimenting with a new
vacuum tube called a magnetron while doing
research for the Raytheon Corporation in
1945. He tried another experiment with
popcorn when the the candy bar in his pocket
began to melt. When the popcorn began to
pop, Spencer immediately saw the potential in
this revolutionary process. In 1947, Raytheon
built the Radarange, the first microwave oven