12 Tiny Things That Changed the Course of Human History
![12 Tiny Things That Changed the Course of Human History](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/7/2/891272_320x180.jpg)
Ah, the wonders of human ingenuity! We often take for granted the amazing inventions that have made our lives easier and more enjoyable, but rarely do we stop to think about how these inventions came to be. We may be familiar with the stories of famous inventors like Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell, but what about the lesser-known innovators who made their mark on history with their accidental discoveries?
From the QR code to the microwave oven, these inventions have changed the way we live and work. In this list, we explore some of the most incredible accidental inventions of all time. From a spilled milk inspiring the invention of white road centerlines, to an undertaker creating the first automated telephone exchange system, these stories might amaze and inspire you. So, let us pay homage to the accidental inventors who have made our lives easier and more enjoyable, and all the absolutely unpredictable stuff that inspired them.
A wrong turn, WWI.
![CRACKED World War I started because someone took a wrong turn. On June 28, 1914, a wrong turn taken by Archduke Franz Ferdinand's driver put him within mere feet of a guy who had just tried (and failed) to assassinate him. The assassin got a second chance, and he killed the Archduke and his wife, ultimately kicking off World War I.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/3/2/891132.jpg)
Potato-inspired genius.
![TV was inspired by a potato field. Plowing a field at 14, Philo Farnsworth imagined a system that could break down an image into horizontal lines (like the furrows on the field) and then put it back together at the other end, creating the first electronic TV system. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/9/891129.jpg)
Physicist creates WiFi from black hole math.
![We owe Wi-Fi to black holes. In 1992, to create Wi-Fi, a physicist used some math he had come up with while looking for signals from tiny black holes. This math was able to pick up faint signals hidden in a lot of noise, which was key to Wi-Fi. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/3/1/891131.jpg)
Oops, tea time.
![Tea bags were originally a misunderstanding. Back in the early 1900s, American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan accidentally invented the tea bag when he sent out samples of tea in small silk bags, and people thought they were meant to be put in hot water. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/3/0/891130.jpg)
Sloppy, yet sweet.
![CRACKED Sweeteners came from a dude not washing his hands. A researcher accidentally discovered saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, while working with coal tar derivatives in 1897. Не noticed a sweet taste when he put his fingers in his mouth after not washing his hands before lunch.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/8/891128.jpg)
From ashes, Sims.
![Will Wright created The Sims after losing his home in a firestorm. The game allows players to build a house and get stuff, just like in real life, and was created from a Wright's own experience of figuring out what he needed after the fire. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/2/891122.jpg)
Vadim Axel/Shutterstock,
Electronic Arts
Undertaker to inventor.
![2 CRACKED 4 6 Automated phone exchanges were born from competition between undertakers. An undertaker from Kansas City in the late 1800s came up with the first automated telephone exchange system because his competitor's wife kept stealing his customers by working at the local exchange.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/7/891127.jpg)
Spilled milk inspires innovation.
![White road centerlines were inspired by spilled milk. Edward Hines came up with the idea for the first modern centerline for a road in the early 1900s. Не was inspired by a spilled milk he saw on a newly paved road, so he decided DVIV to make the centerline white. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/3/891123.jpg)
Go Figure.
![QR Codes were inspired by the game of go. In go, the players know where the pieces are even if they're slightly off-position, and the same idea was applied to QR codes to make it more error-proof. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/5/891125.jpg)
Snack-sperimenting.
![CRACKED - lets - 301 25 20 The microwave 15 oven resulted from mixing radar and snacks. In 1946, while working on a magnetron for military-grade radar, a Raytheon engineer noticed that his snack had melted. This sparked his curiosity and he decided to experiment further, which eventually led to the invention of the microwave oven.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/6/891126.jpg)
Dog discovers art.
![CRACKED The Lascaux Cave was discovered by a hapless dog. In 1940, four boys were out exploring in southwestern France when their dog fell into a fox hole. That's how they stumbled upon the Lascaux Cave, home to some of the oldest cave paintings in the world.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/1/891121.jpg)
Coffee, minus caffeine.
![Decaf came from dropping coffee beans in seawater. In 1906, one Ludwig Roselius made a surprising discovery after a shipment of coffee beans ended up being immersed in seawater. When he brewed the beans, he found that the water had taken away most of the caffeine. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/4/891124.jpg)