Accidental Inventions
Instructions: Great inventions discovered by accident
- 1.
Penicillin was accidentally discovered in 1928 by which scientist?
ALouis PasteurBJoseph ListerCRobert KochDAlexander Fleming - 2.
The microwave oven was accidentally invented when a chocolate bar melted in the pocket of an engineer working with what technology?
ARadar equipmentBX-ray machinesCTelevision tubesDRadio transmitters - 3.
Post-it Notes were invented after Spencer Silver at 3M accidentally created what?
AA weak adhesiveBA colored inkCA new type of paperDA waterproof coating - 4.
Velcro was inspired when Swiss engineer George de Mestral noticed what sticking to his dog's fur?
ASeedsBThornsCPine needlesDBurrs - 5.
X-rays were accidentally discovered in 1895 by which German physicist?
AWerner HeisenbergBWilhelm RöntgenCAlbert EinsteinDMax Planck - 6.
The Slinky toy was accidentally invented by a naval engineer who was working on what?
ASubmarine periscopesBTorpedo guidance systemsCTension springs for ship instrumentsDAnchor chains - 7.
Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, was accidentally discovered by a chemist who forgot to do what before eating?
ACheck the formulaBTest the compoundCRead his notesDWash his hands - 8.
Vulcanized rubber was accidentally discovered by Charles Goodyear when he dropped rubber mixed with sulfur onto what?
AA chemical bathBA cold surfaceCA hot stoveDA wet floor - 9.
The pacemaker was accidentally invented when engineer Wilson Greatbatch used the wrong component, specifically a wrong what?
ATransistorBBatteryCResistorDWire - 10.
Coca-Cola was originally invented as what type of product?
AA hair tonicBA cleaning solutionCA medicineDA food preservative - 11.
Play-Doh was originally developed for what household purpose?
ASealing windowsBPatching holesCCleaning wallpaperDRemoving stains - 12.
Super Glue (cyanoacrylate) was accidentally discovered during World War II while scientists were trying to make what?
ABulletproof glassBSynthetic rubberCWaterproof coatingsDClear plastic gun sights - 13.
Teflon, the non-stick coating, was accidentally discovered by a chemist working for which company?
ADuPontBDow ChemicalCGeneral ElectricD3M - 14.
The potato chip is said to have been accidentally invented in 1853 by a chef responding to a customer complaint at a resort in which U.S. state?
AMaineBMassachusettsCPennsylvaniaDNew York - 15.
Safety glass, used in car windshields, was accidentally discovered when a chemist noticed that a glass flask coated with what substance didn't shatter?
AWaxBShellacCCellulose nitrateDResin