It’s no secret that some of the biggest things in human history were discovered utterly by accident. Penicillin and X-rays, to name just a few, are among them.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that game-changing inventions happen that often. And if Fleming returned from his two-week vacation to realize his petri dish had bacterial colonies that wouldn’t grow near the mold, it doesn’t mean two weeks by the sea would give you similar results.
That doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to play with chance and see where quasi-scientific DIY experiments will take us. Below is a collection of some of the most mildly interesting cases, like leaving a summer roll on a desk for 4 days to find it sprouting or quickly switching temperatures on a marble. Don’t ask why or what for—some things are meant to be “just because.”
#1 What Happens When You Grow A Pumkin Inside A Plastic Mold
RELATED: #2 This Is What Happens When A Cat Touches A Plasma Ball
#3 What Happens When You Swing A String Of Glow Sticks With Burning Steel Wool At The End And Take A Long Exposure Photo
As the turn of the wheel goes, some of the discoveries and inventions without which we couldn’t imagine our lives today were made solely by accident.
For example, all-time fave breakfast staple Cornflakes were made by Will and John Kellogg back in 1894. Due to their Seventh-day Adventist practices, they were experimenting with vegetarian food. As the story goes, some of the wheat went stale and they tried rolling it flat and baking it. It got popular, so they tried a maize alternative which turned out to be even better.
#4 This Is What Happens When You Put Horizontal Mirrors On A Shack In The Desert
#5 This Is What Happens When Frogs Eat Fireflies
#6 This Is What Happens When You Heat An Ordinary Marble Over A Flame Then Immediately Drop It Into Cold Water
Interestingly, the first popsicle is said to have been invented by an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson in 1905. The kid left a container of soda and water with its mixing stick inside on a porch overnight. In the morning, the original popsicle, marked as an Epsicle, was born thanks to a cold night and one child’s distraction.
Meanwhile, the jacuzzi was invented by Candido Jacuzzi back in the 1960s when the man made a whirlpool bath for his 15-month-old son who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.
#7 What Happens When Water Gets Really, Really Cold
#8 This Is What Happens When You Polish A Coconut
#9 This Is What Happens When A Lightning Hits Beach Sand
Not many people know that safety glass, also known as laminated glass, was also discovered by complete chance. When French chemist Édouard Bénédictus knocked a glass beaker from the top shelf in his laboratory, he noticed that it shattered, but did not break completely.
It turns out, the beaker contained cellulose nitrate. It’s a type of plastic that left a film on the inside of the glass. The patent was filed in 1909 and is still in production today!
#10 What Happens When 50 Mph Winds, Freezing Temperatures And Lake Erie Hits Your House
#11 What Happens When The Mist Around A Waterfall Freezes
#12 What Happens When Wood Is Burnt With High Voltage
#13 Here’s What Happens When You Leave Half A Cabbage In The Fridge Too Long
#14 What Happens When You Put M&ms In A Dish Of Water. Diffusion Force Barriers
#15 This Is What Happens When You Drive Over Chalk Paint On A Hot Day
#16 This Is What Happens When Lightning Strikes A Flag On A Golf Course
#17 What Happens To Windmills When There’s Fog
#18 What Happens When Nature Takes Over- This Boat On A River In Frankfurt, Germany
#19 This Is What Happens When You Fail To Thin Out Your Carrots
#20 This Is What Happens When The Triple Foam Breaks At The Car Wash
#21 This Is What Happens To A Basketball Court When The Pipes Burst
#22 This Is What Happens To Mesh Patio Furniture In An Ice Storm
#23 What Happened To My Coffee Cup After I Left It Sideways For A While
#24 What Happens When An 8-Year-Old Puts His Hand In A Petri Dish Of Agar
#25 This Is What Happens To Food In Antartica At -94°f/-70°c
#26 I Accidentally Left A Bowl Of Beet Juice On The Counter And The Top Layer Rippled
#27 This Is What Happens When You Leave A Bike Outside Too Long
#28 This Is What Happens When Lightning Strikes Asphalt
#29 This Is What Happens When You Try To Display Candles On A Hot Patio
#30 This Is What Happens When You Put A Highlighter In The Microwave In Case You Were Wondering
#31 Apparently This Is What Happens When Light Passes Through The Blinds And Hits My Trash Can
#32 What Happens When Water Freezes On A Spinning Wheel
#33 This Is What Happens When You Take The Ice Tray Out Of A Freezer With An Automatic Ice Maker
#34 This Is What Happens When You Fall Asleep In A Bath
#35 What Happened When I Tried To Take A Picture Of An Airplane Propeller
#36 I Left A Summer Roll On My Desk For 4 Days. The Bean Sprouts Are Sprouting
#37 This Is What Happens When You Don’t Pick A Head Of Lettuce
#38 What Happens When You Open A Dollar Bill In Photoshop
#39 What Happens To Gummy Worms When You Freeze Dry Them
#40 This Is What Happens When You Take A Picture On An iPhone At The Same Time A Flash Goes Off On Another Camera
#41 This Is What Happened To A Sign Left Out In The Sun Too Long
#42 I Am Shortsighted On The Left And Farsighted On The Right Eye. This Is What Happens When The Sun Shines Through My Glasses
#43 What Happens When You Take A Vertically Panoramic Photo Of Something Moving Towards You
#44 This Is What Happens If You Take A Negative Picture Of A Negative Screen
#45 What Happens When Three Trees Merge Into One
#46 Here’s What Happens To A Wooden Guitar Pick After A Year Of Use
#47 This Is What Happens If You Throw Hot Tea Into The Air In Arctic
#48 What Happens When A Leaf Gets Powersprayed
#49 This Is What Happens When You Leave A Pack Of Gummy Bears In An 105 Degree Car
#50 What Happens When An Oil Drip Pan Gets Rained On Overnight
#51 I Harvested The Cookie Dough From My Ice Cream And Baked It. This Is The Result
#52 What Happens When A Tree Grows Into A Power Line
#53 What Happens When A Train Gets Wheelspin
#54 What Happens When You Leave Potatoes In The Cellar For 6 Months
#55 This Is What Happens To Tennis Ball After Staying In Roof For Years
#56 This Is What Happens To An Uncooked Egg When You Soak It In Vinegar For 24 Hours, Corn Syrup For 24 Hours, And Then Distilled Water For 24 Hours. It Was My Sister’s Science Experiment To Show Selective Permeability
#57 This Is What Happens When You Vacuum Seal Garlic
#58 This Is What Happens When A Padded Envelope Is Soaked And Frozen Overnight
#59 What Happens When The Ophthalmologist Only Puts Dilating Drops In One Eye
#60 This Is What Happens To Expired Pizza Dough
#61 What Happens When A Biodegradable Shopping Bag Degrades. It Gets Everywhere
#62 Found Out What Happens When You Point A Violet Laser At Transition Lenses
#63 My Dad Keeps Bees. This Is What Happens When You Accidentally Leave The Lid Off Of A Jar Of Honey
#64 Let An Onion Go Bad In The Fridge. This Is What Happens Apparently
#65 Look What Happened When I Cut A Stack Of The Same Picture
#66 What Happens To A Long Sleeve Shirt In 180mph Winds
