10款偶然发明的产品

译者 oliviaju

Sometimes, accidents can be a good thing. Everything on this list was either invented for a different purpose or happened because someone made a mistake. Once they were discovered, we can't imagine life without them!

有时，意外事故也可能是件好事。下面所列的10款产品不是偏离了发明者的本意，就是因为某人的一个错误而产生的。但它们一经出现，就成了我们生活中不可或缺的一部分。

Popsicles

1. 冰棒

In 1905, eleven-year-old Frank Epperson left his soda-making tools outside overnight. The next day, the stick he'd used to stir the water and flavored powder mixture had frozen, creating the first popsicle. Almost twenty years later, the adult Epperson applied for a patent to make popsicles. (Link | Photo)

1905年，11岁的弗兰克·易普森（Frank Epperson）把他的苏打制作模具落在外面放了一整夜。第二天，他用来搅拌水和调味剂的小棍被冻了在溶液里面，第一根冰棍就这样诞生了。大约20年以后，已经长大成人的易普森才把制作冰棒申请成为了专利。

Rogaine

2. 洛盖尼（男性秃发治疗药）

This treatment for hair loss was discovered when scientists noticed that patients taking the blood pressure drug Loniten experienced the added bonus of making their hair thicker. (Link | Photo)

科学家们发现，服用降压药敏乐啶（Loniten）的患者们还有一项额外的福利，那就是他们的头发越来越浓密了，于是脱发的治疗方法也就应运而生。

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3. 巧克力曲奇饼

Innkeeper Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Wakefield, Massachusetts, was trying to bake a chocolate dessert for her guests, but the chips didn't melt thoroughly. Her guests loved the chocolate chip cookies... and who could blame them? (Link | Photo)

马萨诸塞州韦克菲尔德市的一家旅店老板鲁斯·韦克菲尔德（Ruth Wakefield）想要给她的客人们烤一个巧克力味的点心，但是其中的巧克力片没有完全融化。而她的客人们却大爱这种巧克力曲奇饼，也是，谁又能不喜欢呢？

Microwave Ovens

4. 微波炉

In 1945, an engineer working for Raytheon discovered that a candy bar in his pocket melted while he was working with a magnetron device that was used in military radar systems. Realizing that the radiation was cooking his candy, inventor Percy Spencer developed the first microwave, which at the time was more than five feet tall! (Link | Photo)

1945年，雷神公司的一位工程师在操作一个军用雷达系统中的磁电管设备时，发现自己口袋里的糖果居然融化掉了。发明家帕西·斯宾塞（Percy Spencer）在意识到是辐射把工程师的糖果烤化后，他制造出了第一台微波炉，那时候这台机器足有5英尺（1.524米）多高。

Fireworks

5. 烟火

According to How Stuff Works: "Fireworks originated in China some 2,000 years ago and legend has it that they were accidentally invented by a cook who mixed together charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter -- all items commonly found in kitchens in those days." (Link | Via | Photo)

根据博闻网(How Stuff Works)：“烟火起源于大约2000年以前的中国，传说是一个厨子偶然把木炭、硫磺和硝石混在一起而制成的，那时候所有这些原料在厨房里都随手可见。

Ivory Soap

6. 象牙皂

From About.com: "A soap maker at the Procter and Gamble company had no idea a new innovation was about to surface when he went to lunch one day in 1879. He forgot to turn off the soap mixer, and more than the usual amount of air was shipped into the batch of pure white soap that the company sold under the name The White Soap. Fearing he would get in trouble, the soap maker kept the mistake a secret and packaged and shipped the air-filled soap to customers around the country. Soon customers were asking for more "soap that floats." When company officials found out what happened, they turned it into one of the company's most successful products, Ivory Soap." (Link | Via | Photo)

来源于阿邦网（About.com）:"1879年的某一天，保洁公司的一位煮皂工去吃中饭的时候怎么也不会想到一项新的发明就要涌现出来了。他忘记关掉肥皂搅拌器，于是更多的空气融进了这一批商品名称为“白皂”的纯白肥皂中。由于害怕惹上麻烦，煮皂工把这件事瞒了下来，并且把这批充了气的肥皂包装好，运送到全国各地销售。很快，消费者们就要求购买更多这种“能浮起来的肥皂”。公司负责人在了解到事情的始末以后，就将其打造成公司最成功的产品之一——象牙皂。“

Viagra

7. 伟哥

Viagra was invented by Pfizer scientists who were working on a drug for heart conditions. The drug's side effect of sending blood flow to another area of the body (ahem) turned out to be a godsend for many people with erectile dysfunction! (Link | Photo)

伟哥是辉瑞公司的科研人员在研究一种治疗心脏病的药物时发明出来的。这种药物的副作用是会把血液输送到身体的另一区域（大家懂的~），结果就造福了许多有勃起功能障碍的男士们。

Play-Doh

8. 彩色塑泥

This fun kid's product was originally meant to be a wallpaper cleaner! (Link | Photo)

这款有趣的儿童玩具原本是要作为墙纸去污剂来使用的。

Potato Chips

9. 薯片

In 1853, chef George Crum was annoyed by a customer who kept sending his fried potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining that they were not crunchy enough. Crum sliced the potatoes very thinly, fried them, and added salt. The crunchy chips quickly became a local hit in New England and were called "Saratoga Chips," after the town in which they were invented. (Link | Photo)

1853年，一家餐厅的某位顾客总是抱怨炸土豆不够脆，并不停地把它们送回到厨房里，于是乔治·克拉姆（George Crum）主厨再也HOLD不住了，他把土豆切得非常的薄，炸熟，然后又加上些盐。这脆脆的薯片立马在新英格兰当地一炮走红，人们就以它的发明地命名，叫作“萨拉托加薯片”。

Coffee

10. 咖啡

From SlashFoods: "The Legend of Kaldi maintains that an Abyssian or Ethopian goat herder noticed that his flock was acting especially frisky after chowing down on some bright red berries. After sampling some for himself and verifying the mood shift, he brought the berries to a local imam who studied them, eventually roasting and boiling a batch in water." (Link | Via | Photo)

来自于SlashFoods：“关于卡迪的传说讲得是一个阿比西尼亚或埃塞俄比亚的牧羊人发现他的羊群在吃了一些鲜亮的红色浆果之后表现得异常兴奋。他自己也采集了一些，吃过之后心情的确会发生变化。于是他带着浆果去找当地的伊玛目（教长），经过伊玛目的研究，最后把一部分烘烤并在水中煮沸。”