Velcro was invented in 1941 thanks to accidental discovery on a hiking trip. Georges de Mestral created Velcro after noticing the clinging power of burrs on his clothing and his dog's fur. Mestral discovered that the burrs had small hooks that clung to anything loop-shaped, which inspired his design for Velcro.
Since then, Velcro has become a well-known adherent. In fact, in the 1960s, NASA began using Velcro to secure items in zero gravity. Velcro is now used in a wide variety of ways, from craft projects to shoes and sandals.
More accidental inventions:
- Charles Goodyear created weatherproof rubber after accidentally dropping his rubber invention on a hot stove.
- John Pemberton created Coca-Cola when his lab assistant accidentally mixed carbonated water with a concoction he had developed to cure headaches.
- The pill now known as Viagra was originally created by Pfizer to relieve pain caused by spasms in the heart's coronary arteries. Although the drug failed to fulfill its original purpose, it succeeded in treating an entirely different condition.
