Some of our favorite inventions happened by mistake...

Frank Epperson with grandaughter

It’s hard to imagine a world without corn flakes – but those were invented by mistake....  

While making bread dough, Will Keith Kellogg left the boiled wheat sitting out for several hours – but decided to bake it anyway. The result: crunchy flakes that would change his life. Here are a few more happy accidents:

• In 1905, 11 year old Frank Epperson left a soft-drink with a stirring stick in it on the front porch. Thanks to freezing temperatures that night, frozen ice on a stick was born. Frank patented the Eppsicle 20 years later – but then changed the name to Popsicle.

• Simon Campbell and David Roberts, two researchers at Pfizer, were working on a drug to treat high blood pressure. After testing it on some patients they discovered an unexpected perk among the side effects – and voila, Viagra!