# Chance discoveries that changed history **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951 "2013-06-02T15:12:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/21 "2013-06-03T02:14:21Z")
I’ve often wondered, from a ‘secular’ perspective (“Faith is a gift I have yet to receive”, to borrow the words of Tom Hanks in _Angels & Demons_), what if Jesus had never gained a following? No Catholic or Protestant churches would exist…and would the world be a better or worse place??? More violent acts have been done in the name of God than every other cause combined! ---
**Author:** ![Beelzebubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/22 "2013-06-03T02:19:53Z")
I’ve also wondered what if the Library at Alexandria and much of the ancient world’s collective knowledge, had never been destroyed? What if every bit of knowledge in the Secret Archives at the Vatican was known and available to the world? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/23 "2013-06-03T02:38:43Z")
nm stuff covered already. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/24 "2013-06-03T12:32:38Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > that last one is still pretty controversial…and we hope they will always remain the ONLY two uses of atomic or nucler bombs for all time…a third time would really suck, unless it just happened to occur over Iran… Trust me, that would suck too. Anyone interested in accidental discoveries changing history might want to check out a book called [Napoleon’s Buttons](http://www.amazon.com/Napoleons-Buttons-Molecules-Changed-History/dp/1585423319) about how specific molecules have impacted human history. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/25 "2013-06-03T14:54:41Z")
Roald Dahl was asked by C.S. Forrester to write up his experiences as an RAF fighter so he (Forrester) could make a story from the notes for the Saturday Evening Post. Dahl did so, had them typed up, mailed them off and forgot about it. Two weeks later he got a letter from Forrester stating: I asked you for notes, not a finished story. Did you know you are a gifted writer? I didn’t change a thing, but submitted it to my agent, who sold it to the Saturday Evening Post for $1,000. He took his 10%, and enclosed is a check for $900. Dahl’s first thought was “it can’t be that easy.” And I add “Easy only if your name is Roald Dahl.” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/26 "2013-06-03T16:56:34Z")
I’m not sure how much it changed history, but the [Microwave Oven](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven#Accidental_discovery) was invented after a self-taught engineer named Percy Spencer was doing some experiments for Raytheon and discovered that the microwaves emitted from his tests had melted a bar of chocolate in his pocket. ---
**Author:** ![snuffleupagus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@snuffleupagus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snuffleupagus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/27 "2013-06-04T03:22:12Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And Minoxidil (Rogaine) was a medication for high blood pressure . . . until a doctor noticed that some of his patients were getting hairy. In the same vein, it certainly didn’t change the world, but a chance discovery, Latisse, a topical treatment to grow longer eyelashes, was originally (and still is) used as eyedrops to treat glaucoma, when they noticed the patients getting unusually long lashes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/28 "2013-06-04T03:59:33Z")
[Nitrocellulose](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrocellulose#Guncotton)was discovered by accident. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/29 "2013-06-04T05:03:26Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And Minoxidil (Rogaine) was a medication for high blood pressure . . . until a doctor noticed that some of his patients were getting hairy. Same with Viagra. Although, to be honest, I can’t think of any great historical paradigm-changing moment that came about due to hairy men with boners. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/30 "2013-06-04T05:21:55Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Same with Viagra. > > Although, to be honest, I can’t think of any great historical paradigm-changing moment that came about due to hairy men with boners. Well obviously you haven’t heard the story of Robin Williams and Margaret Thatcher! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/31 "2013-06-04T12:08:00Z")
Does anyone else find the phrase “changed history” a bit odd? Unless you discover time travel, how are you going to change what already happened? ‘Changed the world’ makes sense, but how does somebody or something ‘change history’? ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/32 "2013-06-04T12:14:43Z")
If the Spitfire and Turing’s computer hadn’t been invented, WW2 would probably have been won by the Germans. Pretty fortunate then, that those 2 people just happened to be around then! ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/33 "2013-06-04T12:17:53Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Same with Viagra. > > Although, to be honest, I can’t think of any great historical paradigm-changing moment that came about due to hairy men with boners. Henry 8th was pretty hairy and his desire to have a boner with Bolyn brought about the Anglican church and the split with Rome. Pretty historical paradigm-changing event that. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/34 "2013-06-04T13:37:54Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > I’m waiting for the day when they finally realize just how toxic all that crap is and the diseases that it has caused over the last 20-30 years! > > Of course, someone after that will discover that Stevia (the only ‘totally natural’ sweetener, made from the leaves of the stevia plant) is toxic, too…and I’ll still be screwed…but for now, it’s the only one I touch! Sigh… “natural” does not mean “good for you”. “Artificial” does not mean “bad for you”. Many of the most toxic compounds known to man are 100% natural. ---
**Author:** ![Scoo8b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scoo8b](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoo8b)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/35 "2013-06-04T16:04:27Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > I’m waiting for the day when they finally realize just how toxic all that crap is and the diseases that it has caused over the last 20-30 years! > > Of course, someone after that will discover that Stevia (the only ‘totally natural’ sweetener, made from the leaves of the stevia plant) is toxic, too…and I’ll still be screwed…but for now, it’s the only one I touch! I know, all those chemicals are evil. C7H5NO3S, C14H18N2O5, etc. I mean crap, they’re almost as bad as C12H22O11. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/36 "2013-06-04T16:09:24Z")
Not to mention sodium chloride and dihydrogen monoxide. Avoid those at all costs. Ricin, on the other hand, is completely natural. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/37 "2013-06-04T17:01:28Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Sigh… “natural” does not mean “good for you”. “Artificial” does not mean “bad for you”. Many of the most toxic compounds known to man are 100% natural. And “artificial” foods are subject to far more scrutiny and safety testing than natural ones ever were. From a statistical standpoint, you’d be much better off eating an entirely artificial diet than an entirely natural one, all else being equal. Pesticides are a particular favorite: yes, they’re dangerous, to farmers, agricultural workers, and other people with access to the fields. But lots of professions work with dangerous materials and produce safe products: it’s extremely difficult to find a reliable claim of any end consumer ever being harmed by a pesticide on/in their food. My contribution to the OP is the glue that’s used on post-it notes. 3M legend has it that it was a “failure,” meant to produce a much stronger glue, and was only seen as a product when someone noticed the secretaries were using the very low-adhesive glue it to temporarily stick notes on things. I’m not sure how much the Post-It note “changed history,” though. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/38 "2013-06-04T17:47:14Z")
Nachos, Chop Suet, and a few other dishes/snacks were invented by throwing together whatever leftover ingredients were on hand and serving it to gullible Americans. Seems the formula for making a popular American snack/appetizer/dessert involves: 1. Hungry Americans 2. Random ingredients thrown together 3. Fake ethic origin 4. ??? 5. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/39 "2013-06-04T17:51:32Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Nachos, Chop Suet, and a few other dishes/snacks were invented by throwing together whatever leftover ingredients were on hand and serving it to gullible Americans. Seems the formula for making a popular American snack/appetizer/dessert involves: > > 1. Hungry Americans > 2. Random ingredients thrown together > 3. **Fake ethic origin** > 4. ??? > 5. Profit! Not for nachos. The inventor **was** Mexican. “Nacho” is a nickname for Ignacio. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951/40 "2013-06-04T19:06:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Not for nachos. The inventor **was** Mexican. “Nacho” is a nickname for Ignacio. True, but like chop suet, fortune cookies, etc they were invented in America and passed off as authentic ethic food to hungry American customers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chance-discoveries-that-changed-history/659951.md?page=3)