Some inventions are the result of brainstorming, careful planning, and long hours of research and development. But there are also a lot that were, in one way or another, an accident—and you might be surprised to see how many common and popular inventions are on that list! Want to see what we mean? Check out this list of some of the most famous products available today that came about because of some kind of accident. Were you aware of any of the origin stories on this list?
#1: Ice Cream Cones
Picture this: you’re at the 1904 World’s Fair, one of the biggest events in the US at that time. People from all over are there to display and view the newest technologies and inventions, and you are there to sell all of those people ice cream. Everything is going great until you run out of cups. What do you do?
For one ice cream vendor to whom this actually happened, the answer happened to be close at hand. Specifically, a fellow vendor nearby was selling waffle wafers, and had the idea to use them as a cup for the ice cream. Et voila! The ice cream cone as we know it came into the world.