Some of the most important scientific discoveries have been made by accident. A clumsy researcher accidentally drops some of Chemical A into Chemical B, and voila, you have something that actually turns out to be useful. From penicillin to play-doh, some of the world’s most commonly-used items were never meant to be discovered in the first place. A lucky accident or two resulted in the discovery of medication that has saved the lives of millions; a product designed to clean wallpaper turned into one of the most popular children’s toys. These items that we use in our daily lives came about merely by accident.

Yet that does not mean that there was no skill involved. As noted by Louis Pasteur, “chance favors the prepared mind.” Had the scientists who made these “accidental” discoveries not been paying close attention to their work, they never would have been able to realize the potential of their coincidental creations. We have the keen observatory powers of some famous researchers to thank for the hundreds of “accidental” inventions we use every day.

This blog will be reporting on a different important “accidental” discovery each week, and analyzing what our world would be like if such an accident had not happened. These lucky coincidences have shaped our daily lives, and their nonexistence could result in radical changes. The discovery of penicillin has drastically reduced the risk of many different serious diseases, and had it not been discovered by accident, bacterial infections may be much more hazardous to our modern society. Other things, such as play-doh, do not have such a great effect, but it is difficult to imagine our childhoods without such a commonly used toy. It is hard to believe that such lucky coincidences have so vastly increased our scientific knowledge in so many different fields. Biology, physics, chemistry—all of these fields have been affects by discoveries that we deem as accidental.