Lucky Accidents!
- Thread starter Visalakshi Ramani
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An Introduction
An Accident is an unplanned incident.
One of the (N.R.I) swamijis defined an accident very differently.
He said that when two persons or vehicles A and B try to be at at the same point P at the same time T an accident takes place. He was absolutely correct.
Accidents occurring in man’s life may be unpleasant and scary…but not necessarily!
When the right things come together, at the right place, under the right conditions, at the right time, a lucky accident happens!
Some of the best discoveries have resulted from unforeseen and unplanned experiments - so to say accidents!
They have later been proved to be ‘Lucky Accidents’.
Let us take a closer look at some of such lucky accidents.
An Accident is an unplanned incident.
One of the (N.R.I) swamijis defined an accident very differently.
He said that when two persons or vehicles A and B try to be at at the same point P at the same time T an accident takes place. He was absolutely correct.
Accidents occurring in man’s life may be unpleasant and scary…but not necessarily!
When the right things come together, at the right place, under the right conditions, at the right time, a lucky accident happens!
Some of the best discoveries have resulted from unforeseen and unplanned experiments - so to say accidents!
They have later been proved to be ‘Lucky Accidents’.
Let us take a closer look at some of such lucky accidents.
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#1. X Rays
X Rays is an important and indispensable tool in modern medical diagnosis. But it was not sought to become such a tool. In fact the very discovery of X rays was a lucky accident!
German Physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen was studying Cathode Rays-the fluorescent stream of electrons-now widely used in everything from television to fluorescent bulbs.
It had been proved already that Cathode Rays can penetrate thin pieces of metal and thin sheets of aluminum. Rontgen was investigating Cathode Rays with a fluorescent screen and a Crook’s Tube completely covered with black card board, in his darkened laboratory.
He observed a glow appearing on the fluorescent screen kept several feet away! Were the Cathode Rays passing right through the black cardboard to illuminate the screen kept far away?
Further investigations proved that the new rays emerging from Crook’s Tube were completely different from Cathode Rays. Rontgen named the new rays as X rays-since it was an unknown type of radiation!
X Rays can penetrate through solids and pass through human body recording the images of the denser bones on a photographic plate.
Rontgen discovered the medical possibilities of this ray quite by another incident. He saw the picture of his wife’s hand on a photographic plate caused by the X rays.
It was the first ever photograph of a human body part with X rays! Now X Rays has become the most trusted medical investigation tool!
In 1901,Rontgen was awarded Nobel prize for the discovery of X Rays.
As told by Louis Pasteur,”Chance favors the prepared mind”. Rontgen had prepared his mind and kept it open for new possibilities. That is why he could discover the X Rays!
Visalakshi Ramani
X Rays is an important and indispensable tool in modern medical diagnosis. But it was not sought to become such a tool. In fact the very discovery of X rays was a lucky accident!
German Physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen was studying Cathode Rays-the fluorescent stream of electrons-now widely used in everything from television to fluorescent bulbs.
It had been proved already that Cathode Rays can penetrate thin pieces of metal and thin sheets of aluminum. Rontgen was investigating Cathode Rays with a fluorescent screen and a Crook’s Tube completely covered with black card board, in his darkened laboratory.
He observed a glow appearing on the fluorescent screen kept several feet away! Were the Cathode Rays passing right through the black cardboard to illuminate the screen kept far away?
Further investigations proved that the new rays emerging from Crook’s Tube were completely different from Cathode Rays. Rontgen named the new rays as X rays-since it was an unknown type of radiation!
X Rays can penetrate through solids and pass through human body recording the images of the denser bones on a photographic plate.
Rontgen discovered the medical possibilities of this ray quite by another incident. He saw the picture of his wife’s hand on a photographic plate caused by the X rays.
It was the first ever photograph of a human body part with X rays! Now X Rays has become the most trusted medical investigation tool!
In 1901,Rontgen was awarded Nobel prize for the discovery of X Rays.
As told by Louis Pasteur,”Chance favors the prepared mind”. Rontgen had prepared his mind and kept it open for new possibilities. That is why he could discover the X Rays!
Visalakshi Ramani
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#2. Penicillin
The story of Penicillin is probably the most famous of all accidental discoveries. In 1928, the Scottish scientist and Nobel Laurette Alexander Fleming was working on a certain strain of bacteria called Staphylococci.
He went on a vacation. On returning he found that one of his glass culture dishes had been left open outside! It had got contaminated by a blue-green mold, with a visible growth!
He threw it away! He later noticed that the Staphylococcus bacteria were no longer growing in the areas surrounding the molds.
After doing further research Fleming published his results and findings. But it was not given the importance it deserved and Penicillin was not used in treatment of infections for almost twenty years!
In 1945, it was found that Penicillin can be produced in an industrial scale. It was then penicillin was used to treat people with bacterial infections.
Penicillin is made from Penicillium mould called Penicillium Notatum. Several derivatives of Penicillin have been formulated since and they are used in treating bacteria spread over a wide range!
Visalakshi Ramani
The story of Penicillin is probably the most famous of all accidental discoveries. In 1928, the Scottish scientist and Nobel Laurette Alexander Fleming was working on a certain strain of bacteria called Staphylococci.
He went on a vacation. On returning he found that one of his glass culture dishes had been left open outside! It had got contaminated by a blue-green mold, with a visible growth!
He threw it away! He later noticed that the Staphylococcus bacteria were no longer growing in the areas surrounding the molds.
After doing further research Fleming published his results and findings. But it was not given the importance it deserved and Penicillin was not used in treatment of infections for almost twenty years!
In 1945, it was found that Penicillin can be produced in an industrial scale. It was then penicillin was used to treat people with bacterial infections.
Penicillin is made from Penicillium mould called Penicillium Notatum. Several derivatives of Penicillin have been formulated since and they are used in treating bacteria spread over a wide range!
Visalakshi Ramani
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#3. Teflon
Polytetrafluoroethylene (P.T.F.E) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, used in a number of applications.
P.T.F.E consists of only the two elements Fluorine and Carbon. Neither water nor oil can stick to this. It has the lowest friction against any solid! So it is ideal for coating the cookwares like pan and pots, rendering them non-stick to oil and water!
P.T.F.E was invented by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals in New Jersey, in 1938, in a lucky accident! Plunkett was trying to make a new C.F.C refrigerant, when the lucky accident took place!
Refrigerators from 1800 to 1929 used toxic gases like Ammonia, Methyl Chloride and Sulfur-Di-oxide as refrigerants. Several fatal accidents took place in 1920s due to the leakage of these toxic gases. People were forced to leave their fridges in their backyards!
A Chlorofluorocarbon (C.F.C) is an organic compound consisting of Carbon, Chlorine and Fluorine. This is a much safer substitute for the toxic gases being used in the refrigerants.
When Plunkett was trying to make a new C.F.C refrigerant, the perfluorethylene spontaneously polymerized in its pressurized storage container, using the iron of the container as a catalyst!
Kinetic Chemicals patented it in 1941 and registered the Teflon trademark in 1945.
The kitchenware were revolutionized with the nonstick pans -which need less cooking oil and are far more easier to clean!
Visalakshi Ramani
Polytetrafluoroethylene (P.T.F.E) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, used in a number of applications.
P.T.F.E consists of only the two elements Fluorine and Carbon. Neither water nor oil can stick to this. It has the lowest friction against any solid! So it is ideal for coating the cookwares like pan and pots, rendering them non-stick to oil and water!
P.T.F.E was invented by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals in New Jersey, in 1938, in a lucky accident! Plunkett was trying to make a new C.F.C refrigerant, when the lucky accident took place!
Refrigerators from 1800 to 1929 used toxic gases like Ammonia, Methyl Chloride and Sulfur-Di-oxide as refrigerants. Several fatal accidents took place in 1920s due to the leakage of these toxic gases. People were forced to leave their fridges in their backyards!
A Chlorofluorocarbon (C.F.C) is an organic compound consisting of Carbon, Chlorine and Fluorine. This is a much safer substitute for the toxic gases being used in the refrigerants.
When Plunkett was trying to make a new C.F.C refrigerant, the perfluorethylene spontaneously polymerized in its pressurized storage container, using the iron of the container as a catalyst!
Kinetic Chemicals patented it in 1941 and registered the Teflon trademark in 1945.
The kitchenware were revolutionized with the nonstick pans -which need less cooking oil and are far more easier to clean!
Visalakshi Ramani
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[h=1]#4. Velcro
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Velcro is the brand name for the fabric hook and loop type fastener. The hook side consists of several hundred tiny hooks and the loop side several hundred small loops. When the two are pressed together, the hooks get caught in the loops and the edges get fastened tight!
When pulled with a tug, the two sides come off with a ripping sound. The name Velcro was coined out of the two French words Velours and Crochet.
Velcro was invented by George De Mestral- a Swizz engineer, in 1941. After returning home from a hunting trip with his dog, he found hundred of burrs of burdock sticking to his clothes and to the dog’s fur. He had to remove them one by one with great difficulty!
What made the burr cling to the clothes and fur so well?
Microscopic examination revealed that burrs had thousands of tiny hooks which could cling to anything!
The idea of Velcro was born. Mestral selected the newly invented Nylon, since it had many advantages over cotton. Nylon would neither rot nor break! It can be made into threads of any size.
Mechanizing the process of weaving hooks took 8 years! The trimming of the loops to form tiny hooks took another year. On the whole it took 10 years of research and hard work to mechanize the process completely.
Mestral submitted for the patent in 1951 and got it in 1955. Velcro, rightly called “The zipper-less zipper” was launched!
Velcro is safe and easy to use. It is practically maintenance-free! Velcro has almost replaced buttons and zippers.
Today it is found in every conceivable object-right from the disposable baby diapers to the diving suits and from the astronaut’s dress to the adaptive clothing worn by the physically challenged people!
NASA uses specially made Velcro with Teflon loops and polyester hooks on a glass base. “Noiseless Velcro” has been specially designed for military use. Of course the process of making it kept a military secret too!
Velcro has revolutionized our day to day life! All this was made possible by one lucky accident and one inquisitive mind!
Visalakshi Ramani
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Velcro is the brand name for the fabric hook and loop type fastener. The hook side consists of several hundred tiny hooks and the loop side several hundred small loops. When the two are pressed together, the hooks get caught in the loops and the edges get fastened tight!
When pulled with a tug, the two sides come off with a ripping sound. The name Velcro was coined out of the two French words Velours and Crochet.
Velcro was invented by George De Mestral- a Swizz engineer, in 1941. After returning home from a hunting trip with his dog, he found hundred of burrs of burdock sticking to his clothes and to the dog’s fur. He had to remove them one by one with great difficulty!
What made the burr cling to the clothes and fur so well?
Microscopic examination revealed that burrs had thousands of tiny hooks which could cling to anything!
The idea of Velcro was born. Mestral selected the newly invented Nylon, since it had many advantages over cotton. Nylon would neither rot nor break! It can be made into threads of any size.
Mechanizing the process of weaving hooks took 8 years! The trimming of the loops to form tiny hooks took another year. On the whole it took 10 years of research and hard work to mechanize the process completely.
Mestral submitted for the patent in 1951 and got it in 1955. Velcro, rightly called “The zipper-less zipper” was launched!
Velcro is safe and easy to use. It is practically maintenance-free! Velcro has almost replaced buttons and zippers.
Today it is found in every conceivable object-right from the disposable baby diapers to the diving suits and from the astronaut’s dress to the adaptive clothing worn by the physically challenged people!
NASA uses specially made Velcro with Teflon loops and polyester hooks on a glass base. “Noiseless Velcro” has been specially designed for military use. Of course the process of making it kept a military secret too!
Velcro has revolutionized our day to day life! All this was made possible by one lucky accident and one inquisitive mind!
Visalakshi Ramani
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[h=1]#5. Mauveine
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Mauveine was discovered in 1856, by an eighteen year old boy named William Henry Perkin. He was trying to synthesize Quinine-the anti Malarial drug.
In one of his attempts he oxidized Aniline using Potassium Dichromate. It produced a dark colored solid-a very common product formed in any organic synthesis that had failed.
While cleaning his flask, Perkin noticed that a portion of the dark colored solid dissolved in alcohol giving a rich purple colored solution. This solution was able to dye silk and many other fabrics!
Perkin patented his dye and started manufacturing it under the name Tyrian Purple-the name of the ancient natural dye obtained from mollusk. The name Mauve was given to the color in 1859. The chemists called it Mauveine.
Mauve became highly fashionable in 1862, when Queen Victoria appeared at the Royal Exhibition in a mauve silk gown!
Mauve fell out of fashion in late 1860s. By then Perkin had made a fortune. The synthetic chemical industry was launched. Many new synthetic colors were discovered.
Mauve is one of the permitted food colors since early 20th Century.
Visalakshi Ramani
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Mauveine was discovered in 1856, by an eighteen year old boy named William Henry Perkin. He was trying to synthesize Quinine-the anti Malarial drug.
In one of his attempts he oxidized Aniline using Potassium Dichromate. It produced a dark colored solid-a very common product formed in any organic synthesis that had failed.
While cleaning his flask, Perkin noticed that a portion of the dark colored solid dissolved in alcohol giving a rich purple colored solution. This solution was able to dye silk and many other fabrics!
Perkin patented his dye and started manufacturing it under the name Tyrian Purple-the name of the ancient natural dye obtained from mollusk. The name Mauve was given to the color in 1859. The chemists called it Mauveine.
Mauve became highly fashionable in 1862, when Queen Victoria appeared at the Royal Exhibition in a mauve silk gown!
Mauve fell out of fashion in late 1860s. By then Perkin had made a fortune. The synthetic chemical industry was launched. Many new synthetic colors were discovered.
Mauve is one of the permitted food colors since early 20th Century.
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
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#6. Post It Notes
A Post It Note is a reusable strip of of paper with an adhesive at the back, for temporary attachments.The low tack adhesive can be attached to and detached from any surface easily, without leaving any mark on it!
Post It Notes have become an essential stationary in every office, yet such a thing did not exist prior to 1968!
Dr.Spencer Silver with the help of his fellow scientist Jesse Kops at the famous 3M at U.S.A. accidentally developed this low tack adhesive. It was reusable and sensitive to pressure! It could be stuck to any surface temporarily.
No one knew what to do with an adhesive that would not stick! The discovery appeared to be useless and futile! In 1974, Art Fry-one of Jesse Kop’s coworker in the famous 3M-started using this adhesive on a book mark kept in his hymn book.
Art Fry began to develop this idea and in 1977-almost 9 years after it discovery- 3M launched the Post It Notes.But they failed to impress the prospective buyers. A year later, free samples were handed out to create favorable impressions.
The choice of yellow color was also another accident. The lab next door to the Post It Team had scrap yellow paper-which the research team used first!
By 1980 Post It Notes was launched in USA followed by Canada and Europe a year later.
Desk Top Notes are computer applications developed to allow user to put virtual Post It Notes on the their desktops and laptops.
Post It Notes may not stick, but they have come to stay!
Visalakshi Ramani
A Post It Note is a reusable strip of of paper with an adhesive at the back, for temporary attachments.The low tack adhesive can be attached to and detached from any surface easily, without leaving any mark on it!
Post It Notes have become an essential stationary in every office, yet such a thing did not exist prior to 1968!
Dr.Spencer Silver with the help of his fellow scientist Jesse Kops at the famous 3M at U.S.A. accidentally developed this low tack adhesive. It was reusable and sensitive to pressure! It could be stuck to any surface temporarily.
No one knew what to do with an adhesive that would not stick! The discovery appeared to be useless and futile! In 1974, Art Fry-one of Jesse Kop’s coworker in the famous 3M-started using this adhesive on a book mark kept in his hymn book.
Art Fry began to develop this idea and in 1977-almost 9 years after it discovery- 3M launched the Post It Notes.But they failed to impress the prospective buyers. A year later, free samples were handed out to create favorable impressions.
The choice of yellow color was also another accident. The lab next door to the Post It Team had scrap yellow paper-which the research team used first!
By 1980 Post It Notes was launched in USA followed by Canada and Europe a year later.
Desk Top Notes are computer applications developed to allow user to put virtual Post It Notes on the their desktops and laptops.
Post It Notes may not stick, but they have come to stay!
Visalakshi Ramani
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OP
#7. Vulcanized Rubber
Christopher Columbus was the first man to bring rubber balls to Europe! Rubber will rot slowly. It will change with the outside temperature and become brittle in cold weather and sticky in hot weather. So it could not be put to any use in such varying climates.
Many inventors tried to make rubber weather proof! This would render rubber a stronger and a more reliable material!
One of them was Charles Goodyear, who spent seven long years trying to make rubber stronger, by boiling it with different substances. But he could not get the right combination!
In 1839, a concoction of rubber and sulfur fell from his hands by chance, on a hot stove. They melted and combined to form strong rubber.
Sulfurized rubber steamed at 132 degrees Celsius-under pressure for several hours-resulted in weather proofing rubber.
Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire. His name was given to the rubber made stronger by heat treatment. The very first thing made out of vulcanized rubber was the puckered ruffles on fancy shirts!
Today Vulcanized rubber is a multimillion dollar business, even though it was invented by a small lucky accident!
Visalakshi Ramani
Christopher Columbus was the first man to bring rubber balls to Europe! Rubber will rot slowly. It will change with the outside temperature and become brittle in cold weather and sticky in hot weather. So it could not be put to any use in such varying climates.
Many inventors tried to make rubber weather proof! This would render rubber a stronger and a more reliable material!
One of them was Charles Goodyear, who spent seven long years trying to make rubber stronger, by boiling it with different substances. But he could not get the right combination!
In 1839, a concoction of rubber and sulfur fell from his hands by chance, on a hot stove. They melted and combined to form strong rubber.
Sulfurized rubber steamed at 132 degrees Celsius-under pressure for several hours-resulted in weather proofing rubber.
Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire. His name was given to the rubber made stronger by heat treatment. The very first thing made out of vulcanized rubber was the puckered ruffles on fancy shirts!
Today Vulcanized rubber is a multimillion dollar business, even though it was invented by a small lucky accident!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
[h=1]#8. Stainless Steel
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Harry Brearley-a specialist in steel- began doing research in Brown Firth Research Laboratories in 1908. His aim was to find a way to prevent the corrosion in the rifle barrels, due to the heat produced and gas released during firing.
He was trying varying amounts of Chromium mixed with carbon iron to produce the perfect alloy. On August 13, 1913, he mixed 0.24% of carbon and 12.8% of Chromium with steel to create the new alloy now popularly known as Stainless Steel!
So the 13th of August (19)13, doubly unlucky for every one else, turned out to be his luckiest day!
He tested the new alloy with lemon juice and vinegar, the most commonly used liquids in cooking, but it did not react with them in the same way as plain steel would!
So it was decided that the alloy would be ideal to produce kitchenware and cutlery-which do not get tarnished or corroded! The kitchen- ware revolution had begun!
Even the world of architecture has undergone major changes- thanks to the stainless steel! The Gateway Arch at St. Louis is completely coated with stainless steel. The pinnacle of The Chrysler Building is made with this wonderful alloy.
Unisphere in New York, the largest global structure in the world, is made with stainless steel. Patronas Twin Towers and Jin Mao Building-two of the world’s tallest skyscrapers-have their exterior made of stainless steel.
Art deco sculptures use of stainless steel which can withstand the onslaught of Sun, rain, snow and Time!
Modern light weight furniture are made with stainless steel-especially those used near beach areas, since they are strong, sturdy, weather proof and elegant to look at!
Mechanical and machine parts as well as medical equipments are now made out of stainless steel.
Looking around us we are forced to wonder at two things: what will the world be without this alloy and is it really less than a century, since this stainless steel was invented!
Visalakshi Ramani
[/h]
Harry Brearley-a specialist in steel- began doing research in Brown Firth Research Laboratories in 1908. His aim was to find a way to prevent the corrosion in the rifle barrels, due to the heat produced and gas released during firing.
He was trying varying amounts of Chromium mixed with carbon iron to produce the perfect alloy. On August 13, 1913, he mixed 0.24% of carbon and 12.8% of Chromium with steel to create the new alloy now popularly known as Stainless Steel!
So the 13th of August (19)13, doubly unlucky for every one else, turned out to be his luckiest day!
He tested the new alloy with lemon juice and vinegar, the most commonly used liquids in cooking, but it did not react with them in the same way as plain steel would!
So it was decided that the alloy would be ideal to produce kitchenware and cutlery-which do not get tarnished or corroded! The kitchen- ware revolution had begun!
Even the world of architecture has undergone major changes- thanks to the stainless steel! The Gateway Arch at St. Louis is completely coated with stainless steel. The pinnacle of The Chrysler Building is made with this wonderful alloy.
Unisphere in New York, the largest global structure in the world, is made with stainless steel. Patronas Twin Towers and Jin Mao Building-two of the world’s tallest skyscrapers-have their exterior made of stainless steel.
Art deco sculptures use of stainless steel which can withstand the onslaught of Sun, rain, snow and Time!
Modern light weight furniture are made with stainless steel-especially those used near beach areas, since they are strong, sturdy, weather proof and elegant to look at!
Mechanical and machine parts as well as medical equipments are now made out of stainless steel.
Looking around us we are forced to wonder at two things: what will the world be without this alloy and is it really less than a century, since this stainless steel was invented!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
#9. Microwave Oven
Microwave Oven or simply Microwave has become an essential gadget in the modern smart kitchens, all over the world! This wonderful invention is also due a lucky accident and the open mindedness of its inventor!
In 1945, Percy Spenser-an engineer and an inventor- was working on a Magnetron. A Magnetron is used to create microwave radio signals for the use in Radars.
He noticed that the chocolate bar kept in his pocket began to melt! Wondering whether it was due to the microwaves, he further experimented with popcorn kernels and an egg.
Th popcorn kernels popped up well and the egg exploded in the face of one of the experimenters! The microwave oven was born!
The initial models were giants compared to the present day models. The first microwave oven built in 1947 was the size of a fridge 5′ 9″ tall, weighing a massive 750 lbs and costing a fortune of 5000 US$! It had to be water cooled!
As time went on, the microwave got streamlined to become smaller and more affordable. They can now fit in the homes and as well as the budgets of the common folks!
The smallest microwave oven in the market is 11″ tall, 15″ wide and less than 10″ deep! It would appear to be a mere toy kept beside the first ever microwave oven!
Visalakshi Ramani
Microwave Oven or simply Microwave has become an essential gadget in the modern smart kitchens, all over the world! This wonderful invention is also due a lucky accident and the open mindedness of its inventor!
In 1945, Percy Spenser-an engineer and an inventor- was working on a Magnetron. A Magnetron is used to create microwave radio signals for the use in Radars.
He noticed that the chocolate bar kept in his pocket began to melt! Wondering whether it was due to the microwaves, he further experimented with popcorn kernels and an egg.
Th popcorn kernels popped up well and the egg exploded in the face of one of the experimenters! The microwave oven was born!
The initial models were giants compared to the present day models. The first microwave oven built in 1947 was the size of a fridge 5′ 9″ tall, weighing a massive 750 lbs and costing a fortune of 5000 US$! It had to be water cooled!
As time went on, the microwave got streamlined to become smaller and more affordable. They can now fit in the homes and as well as the budgets of the common folks!
The smallest microwave oven in the market is 11″ tall, 15″ wide and less than 10″ deep! It would appear to be a mere toy kept beside the first ever microwave oven!
Visalakshi Ramani
OP
OP
[h=1]#10. Radioactivity
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Radio Activity was discovered by the French scientist Henri Becquerel in 1896, while he was working on phosphorescent salts. These are salts which glow in the dark, after being exposed to light first.
He thought that the glow produced in the Cathode Ray Tube by the X Rays might be similar in nature. He wrapped several photographic plates with black paper and tested by placing various phosphorescent salts on them.
All the salts showed negative results until Uranium salts were placed. Uranium salts blackened the photographic plates deeply! The new radiation found was named as Becquerel Rays.
But blackening of the photographic plates occurred even when the salts were kept in complete darkness! Metallic Uranium as well as non phosphorescent salts of Uranium also exhibited the same effect!
Initially Bacquerel Rays were thought to be similar in nature to the X Rays. But it was later proved to be much more complicated than X Rays.
The new rays were emitted due to the phenomenon called Radioactivity.
Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of certain unstable nuclei emitting Alpha, Beta and Gamma Radiations. This is exhibited by certain elements and their compounds which are Radioactive in nature.
Radioactivity has found several uses in modern life. It is used to study living organisms and in the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases. It is used to sterilize medical instruments and food items and also in producing electric power and heat energy in Thermal Power Plants.
Radioactivity which was discovered by a lucky accident, has revolutionized the world of Medicine and Energy!
Visalakshi Ramani
[/h]
Radio Activity was discovered by the French scientist Henri Becquerel in 1896, while he was working on phosphorescent salts. These are salts which glow in the dark, after being exposed to light first.
He thought that the glow produced in the Cathode Ray Tube by the X Rays might be similar in nature. He wrapped several photographic plates with black paper and tested by placing various phosphorescent salts on them.
All the salts showed negative results until Uranium salts were placed. Uranium salts blackened the photographic plates deeply! The new radiation found was named as Becquerel Rays.
But blackening of the photographic plates occurred even when the salts were kept in complete darkness! Metallic Uranium as well as non phosphorescent salts of Uranium also exhibited the same effect!
Initially Bacquerel Rays were thought to be similar in nature to the X Rays. But it was later proved to be much more complicated than X Rays.
The new rays were emitted due to the phenomenon called Radioactivity.
Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of certain unstable nuclei emitting Alpha, Beta and Gamma Radiations. This is exhibited by certain elements and their compounds which are Radioactive in nature.
Radioactivity has found several uses in modern life. It is used to study living organisms and in the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases. It is used to sterilize medical instruments and food items and also in producing electric power and heat energy in Thermal Power Plants.
Radioactivity which was discovered by a lucky accident, has revolutionized the world of Medicine and Energy!
Visalakshi Ramani
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More articles will be added in a weekly / monthly basis later.
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The promise of fresh articles on monthly basis sounds easier to keep up with! 
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#11. Quinine
Quinine is an anti-malarial compound that originally comes from bark of the Quina-Quina tree. Jesuit missionaries in South America had used Quinine to treat malaria as early as 1600.
Probably they had learned the fact that Quinine can be used successfully to treat illness, from the local native Indian population of that time.
The original story goes thus:
A native Indian got lost in a jungle while he was suffering from malaria. He was running a high temperature. He became very thirsty and felt parched.
So he drank water from a pool at the base of a Quina-Quina tree. The water tasted so bitter that it made him fear that he had drunk something that would make him sicker.
But to his surprize the opposite thing happened. His fever got reduced and he started feeling much better soon! He went back home and spread the story about the bitter tasting tree with rare medicinal properties.
This story is not the only one and there are some other accounts for the discovery of Quinine's medicinal properties.
But no one can question the fact that this life-saving drug was the product of a lucky accidental discovery!
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Dear Mr. Lalit,
The first 10 articles are from my WordPress blog.
https://visalakshiramani.wordpress.com/
The viewership of this blog is fast approaching a six digit number.
The article # 11 onward will be the new additions here.
Thank you for your feedback and welcome to my website http://visalakshiramani.weebly.com/ for more blogs
of poems, proverbs, articles and stories from puraanaas.
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Actually I had forgotten to add the image in this article.
Thanks for reminding me about it!
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Saccharin
Saccharin, the artificial sweetener is about 400 times sweeter than sugar. It was accidentally discovered by Constantine Fahlberg in 1879, while he was analyzing the coal tar.
After working all day long in his lab, he forgot to wash his hands before eating his dinner. He picked up a roll, and noticed that it seemed sweet. Everything else he touched tasted sweet!
He went back to the lab and started tasting compounds until he found it as the result of combining o-sulfobenzoic acid with phosphorus chloride and ammonia.
Fahlberg patented saccharin in 1884 and began mass production. The artificial sweetener became widespread when sugar was rationed during World War I.
Tests showed that body couldn't metabolize it. So people got the sweet taste without getting any additional calories from saccharin.
In 1907 the diabetics started using saccharin instead of sugar.
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#13. The pace maker
Wilsom Greatbath was building a heart rhythm recording device in 1956. He needed a resistor to complete the circuit but the one he got was not of the right size.
He managed to make use of that resistor and noticed that the circuit was now emitting electrical pulses. It reminded him of the electrical activity of the heart in creating the heart beats and the rhythmic pattern of the heart beats.
It dawned on him that this rhythmic electrical stimulation could be used to maintain the beat of a defective heart - which has lost the ability to pump its muscles.
He began to perfect his device - a product of an accidental discovery or rather a lucky accident which would benefit the humanity.
On May 7, 1958, a version of his pacemaker was successfully inserted into a dog. The pace maker offers mental peace to many people with heart problems.
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#14. L.S.D
Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1943, when he was studying Lysergic acid, a powerful chemical that was first isolated from a fungus that grows on rye. Though his discovery was an accident he decided to follow through with his findings.
These chemicals he studied were going to be used as pharmaceuticals, and many derivatives of them are still used today.
Hofmann reported feeling restless and dizzy while working on the chemical years after it had been derived. He went home and sank into a state of drunkenness which was quite pleasant and was characterized by extreme activity of the imagination.
There surged upon him an uninterrupted stream of fantastic images of extraordinary plasticity and vividness and accompanied by an intense kaleidoscopic play of colors.
He intentionally dosed himself with the drug on April 19, 1943 to find out its effects. It was the first planned experiment with LSD — but certainly not the last.
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Play doh!
The clay that kids love to play with has been around since the 1930s, but when it was first invented, it wasn't meant to be a toy for the kids.
Noah Mc Vicker and his brother Cleo had designed the clay to be wall paper cleaner. In the olden days fire place was lit up to keep the house warm.
The ugly by product of the fire from coals and wooden logs was the black soot which formed a black coating on the walls. The clay when rolled over the wall papers removed the unsightly soot.
After the vinyl wallpaper were put to use, the wallpaper cleaner was no longer needed. A wet sponge could do the job very well.
Kay Zufall - a nursery school teacher - came up with another brilliant use for the product. She had heard that kids could make decorations out of the wallpaper cleaner. When she tried it in her class, the students simply loved it.
McVickers decided to remove the detergent harmful to children and add beautiful coloring. Kay suggested the name "Play-doh" and the clay that all kids love to play with was thus created!
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Colorful caterpillar made for my grand kids to play with!
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A Tamil Poem I wrote on play doh 4 years ago!
#46. Play dough
களிமண் மண்ணாங்கட்டி என்று
இழிவாகப் பேசுகின்றோமே நாம்!
களிமண் மகிமை எங்கு வந்தால்
தெளிவாகப் புரியும் எல்லோருக்கும்.
பிளாஸ்டிக் மாவுபோல உள்ளது அது.
play dough என்ற பெயர் அதற்கு.
அதில் விளையாடாத குழந்தை இங்கு
அபூர்வம் என்றே சொல்லலாம் இன்று.
அத்தனை கலர்களிலும் உள்ளது.
அத்துடன் வரும் அழகிய மோல்ட்கள்.
எந்த உருவத்தை வேண்டுமானாலும்
எளிதாக உருவாக்கலாம் எவரும்.
வருங்காலச் சிற்பிகளை எளிதாக
உருவாக்கும் திட்டமோ இது??? :noidea:
களிமண் மண்ணாங்கட்டி என்று
இழிவாகப் பேசுகின்றோமே நாம்!
களிமண் மகிமை எங்கு வந்தால்
தெளிவாகப் புரியும் எல்லோருக்கும்.
பிளாஸ்டிக் மாவுபோல உள்ளது அது.
play dough என்ற பெயர் அதற்கு.
அதில் விளையாடாத குழந்தை இங்கு
அபூர்வம் என்றே சொல்லலாம் இன்று.
அத்தனை கலர்களிலும் உள்ளது.
அத்துடன் வரும் அழகிய மோல்ட்கள்.
எந்த உருவத்தை வேண்டுமானாலும்
எளிதாக உருவாக்கலாம் எவரும்.
வருங்காலச் சிற்பிகளை எளிதாக
உருவாக்கும் திட்டமோ இது??? :noidea:
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#16. Viagra
Viagra is now being used to rectify erectile dysfunction. But originally it was not the purpose of this pill.
Pfizer originally introduced the chemical slatternly, the active drug in Viagra, as a heart medication. During clinical trials the drug proved ineffective for heart conditions.
But men noted that the medication seemed to cause another effect — stronger and longer lasting erections.
Even if they hadn't been able to maintain an erection before, the ability returned while they were on Viagra.
Pfizer conducted clinical trials on 4,000 men with erectile dysfunction, and saw the same results.
Enter the age of the little blue pill...another product of a lucky accident!
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