Illustration
Amen to Sticky Notes
In 1968, while trying to create an extremely strong adhesive an engineer instead accidentally made a very weak adhesive. The project was originally deemed a failure, until Arthur Fry discovered that the adherent allowed paper to stick and and... More
Illustration
Angels in the Waste Bin
In 1928, scientist Sir Alexander Fleming was trying to create a miracle drug that could cure all diseases. He noticed that mold was dissolving the bacteria around it in a petri dish that he had thrown in the trash. He discovered that the mold... More
Mixed Media
Bottles, Boats, Brandy
In 16th century Holland, while trying to make wine transportation easier a Dutch merchant had the idea to distill the water out of wine to create a lower volume of liquid. When the concentrated wine arrived at its destination, water would be added... More
Illustration
Doctor, it's Cold Outside
In 1951, an electrical engineer named John Hopps was conducting research on hypothermia, he was trying to find a way to use radio frequencies as a heating source to restore body temperature and cure hypothermia. During his experiments he realized... More
Illustration
Mauve or Malaria?
In 1856, chemist William Perkin created the first synthetic dye in the colour mauve while trying to create a malaria cure derived from tree bark. The malaria cure was a failure, however Perkin discovered the thick purple sludge that came from his... More
Illustration
Mining for Saccharine
In 1879, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University named Constantine Fahlberg was trying to find a new use for coal tar. One day after eating one of his wife’s biscuits after work he noticed that they tasted sweeter than usual; he realized that he... More
Illustration
Popping! In the Radar Dish
In 1946, an engineer named Percy Spencer created the microwave while he was conducting research using radar and vacuum tubes. While conducting an experiment he realized that a candy bar had started to melt in his pocket due to the microwaves... More
Illustration
Silly Putty Wants You for the U.S. Army!
During WWII Japan had invaded countries that supplied rubber to the United states. In an effort to create a substitute, the US government funded multiple research projects to create a synthetic rubber, unfortunately none of the projects were... More
Work by
Ashlyn Mundy
Illustration
“My illustration thesis titled "Accidents Waiting to be Discovered" depicts the historical events of inventions that were discovered by mistake, and how they differed from the intended product....” [More]