The scientific method is usually pretty straightforward. It’s an almost endless chain of trial and error, resulting in that one attempt where it finally works out the way you want it to. It takes a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of effort from all people involved.
Some products were involved slightly differently, however. Let’s take a look at some products that were invented in unorthodox ways.
The Webcam
This was actually invented not to video chat with people not physically in the same room; it was invented by the University of Cambridge so people could check the coffee supply without physically moving to the coffee machine. Yup. That’s how addicted to coffee those people are.
The Slinky
Despite being mostly known for being able to go down stairs endlessly, slinkies were invented for one purpose only: to monitor a ship’s movement on rough seas. As it happens, the creator accidentally knocked it from a shelf and that’s how the slinky we all know and love was born.
The Parachute
I mean, there couldn’t possibly be another reason for this to be invented rather than not plummeting to your death when jumping out of an airplane, right? Wrong! It was actually invented to help people escape from burning buildings. I’m guessing it never really caught on because parachutes are, well, not fire-proof.
The Filet-O-Fish
Sounds easy enough – a fish burger. It was invented for fish burger purposes. Well, not quite. It was invented by a burger store owner after he noticed his clientele – which was mainly catholic – would be substantially smaller on Fridays because they wouldn’t eat meat on that day for religious reasons.
The Rubber Bullet
Contrary to what we think today, rubber bullets weren’t invented to cause injury. They were invented to be shot at the ground, bouncing off it and on towards the assailant – causing a sharp pain instead of any real injury. They were developed as the perfect “warning” bullet. Sad to see them being used as a “soft” bullet now.
The Tea Bag
The tea bag was actually a happy accident. A tea salesman used to bag his tea supply to entice now customers. Instead of opening the bag, they just dipped the bag in hot water and changed the tea game forever.
The T-Shirt
Yeah, this thing was invented because back in the days when Anakin fought for the Jedi Order and the principles of the Galactic Senate, men weren’t very good at sewing. Repairing a shirt with buttons and not having proper sewing skills pretty much means buying a new shirt, so it’s no wonder the buttonless T-shirt was such a hit.
The Silly String
Despite the common knowledge that silly string is in fact a child’s toy, it was invented as a medical “spray-on” cast which would instantly harden, like Kakuna or Metapod. One particular formula of the product turned out more stringy than the others, so they decided to turn it into a child’s toy. Because why not?
