Accidental Inventions

I enjoyed this article on accidental inventions, most of which I had heard of, but not all. A few comments...

1) The #1 accidental invention, the microwave, was invented by a fellow native Mainer, Percy Spencer.

2) I wouldn't really call velcro an accidental invention. George de Mestral got the idea from walking his dog, but had to do a lot more work and experimentation to actually "invent" velcro.

3) I'm very surprised that Post-It Sticky Notes didn't make the list. In my opinion, it is probably the most well known story of accidental invention. The inventors were actually trying to make a strong adhesive when they instead created a reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive. They found when applied to paper, it could be used to stick the paper to surfaces multiple times. I've heard that the yellow color was just a coincidence as well - a lab next door had a bunch of scrap yellow paper lying around.

The good news of all these stories is that stimulus for new ideas surrounds us every day. Seek out new information, but also observe the everyday opportunities and challenges around you. Who knows what you will discover!