Not every invention was created intentionally. Some things came about by accident, as researchers were working on something else or even when an experiment went completely bonkers.
I thought it was interesting how many kids' toys and games showed up unannounced and unsought-after. The headline kind of overstates things -- I'm having a hard time envisioning how Silly Putty changed the world, for example -- but it's a neat look at how a detour may wind up in a more interesting destination than the intended path does.
IIRC, Silly Putty was used on some space missions to secure things like wrenches by "sticking" them near where the person doing the work would need them (rather than having them floating around causing possible havoc)
ReplyDeleteEven more brilliant!
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