Accidental Game-Changing Discoveries

Discovery 1 - Laminated Safety Glass

   Laminated safety glass was discovered by accident when Edouard Benedictus dropped a flask and observed that it did not shatter as it would typically (Ewing, 1936). Upon further investigation, he noticed that the flask held a strongly adhered film of evaporated nitrocellulose (Ewing, 1936).

Benedictus initially forgot about the observation, but after reading about accidents and people being seriously harmed by broken glass, he was determined to see if he could make something safer based on his happenstance observation with the flask (Ewing, 1936). Benedictus eventually registered a patent and formed a company to produce laminated safety glass (Ewing, 1936).

Supporting Forces

   Public safety is a significant supporting force for products like laminated safety glass. Practical applications for laminated glass include automotive windshields and any other glass application that could lead to breakage and safety concerns, like glass floors, skylights, or overhead glazing in buildings (AIS, 2021).

Discovery 2 - The Moldy Potato and Bacteriology

   In the late 1800s, the idea of tiny organisms potentially negatively impacting our health was new. In 1880, Robert Koch was tidying his laboratory and found a piece of moldy potato with different colored sections of mold on it (Verstraete, 2016). Instead of doing the sensible thing and throwing it in the trash, he looked at it under a microscope and discovered that each color of mold had a unique organism associated with it (Verstraete, 2016).

Koch also figured out that the organisms would replicate if he provided a food source  (Verstraete, 2016). Koch laid the foundation for bacteriology, furthering our understanding of disease (Verstraete, 2016).

Supporting Forces

   Understanding diseases and extending human life is typically embraced by society and political leadership alike, but it can be controversial when the idea is new. Although later proven correct, many of Koch's ideas were opposed by his peers (Nobelprize.org, n.d.). Koch had difficulty getting resources and proper facilities to perform his work (Nobelprize.org, n.d.). The ultimate supporting force was the eventual proving of Koch's findings and the move towards studying bacteria amongst his peers.

References

AIS. (2021, October 20). Applications of laminated glass in high-security areas. AIS Glass - Best Glass Manufacturing Company in India. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.aisglass.com/applications-of-laminated-glass-in-high-security-areas/

AIS. (2022, July 25). Automotive Safety Glass: A brief history in time - ais windshield experts. AIS Windshield Experts - Faster-Safer-Better. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.windshieldexperts.com/blog/101-2/

Ewing, A. M. (1936). Turning accidents into profit through careful observation. Journal of Chemical Education, 13(11), 530.

NobelPrize.org. (n.d.). The nobel prize in physiology or medicine 1905. NobelPrize.org. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1905/koch/biographical/

Verstraete, L. (2016). Accidental Discoveries: From Laughing Gas to Dynamite. FriesenPress.