From a young age we are taught what a scientific discovery is supposed to look like. Months to years of research, endless trial and error until finally, Eureka! But that is not always the case. Plenty of brilliant scientific discoveries were complete accidents

Penicillin: The most-talked-about happy accident in the science world, this revolutionary medicine was discovered simply because of some dirty dishes. After a Scottish scientist had been studying Staph Infection, he discovered a fungus that had killed all the bacteria in his culture. Thus this life-changing medicine was born.

Velcro: The stuff that held your shoes in place as a kid was actually inspired by burrs found in the woods. Swiss engineer Georges de Mestra was hiking when he noticed these little plants had hooks that were clinging to anything with a loop shape. He took this design home and revolutionized the fashion industry for better or worse.

Frosted Flakes: What we know today to be a delicious sugary cereal came to be by chance. After the creator of Kellogg had left some wheat boiling for too long he noticed the wheat had become flakey. After cooking the wheat longer the Kellogg family had created a brand new cereal.

Playdough: While now we know it as something that gets smooshed into carpets of homes across the globe, Playdough started out as a cleaning product. Originally marketed as a wallpaper-cleaning product, it quickly became a source of entertainment for school-aged kids everywhere. The twist of marketing is what saved the company and has kept it afloat ever since.

Microwaves: Developed at its heart during World War II, radar found a new purpose when a company called Raytheon took to finding a new use for the technology. After one scientist noticed the candy bar in his pocket had melted after working on the premature microwave. Then, as all good scientists do, he conducted more experiments using popcorn kernels. From there, the conventional oven was born