The Epic Fails That Gave Us Matches, Kleenex, and Popsicles
Sorry, these three products weren’t created on purpose, but these happy accidents sure changed the world
Matches
In 1827, pharmacist John Walker in Stockton-on-Tees, England, finished stirring a pot of chemicals—antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch—and noticed that a lump of the mixture had adhered to the end of his stirring stick. When he tried to scrape it off by dragging the stick across the floor, the substance burst into flames.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Off the Shelf to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.