Chapter 1
Playtime inventions born from happy accidents
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Answer
Chapter 2
Famous foods discovered by pure chance
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Chapter 3
Everyday technology designed for completely different uses
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YOUR GOAL
Master of Surprising everyday origin stories
Ch 1 · Playtime inventions born from happy accidents
schopenhauer Accidental Toy Inventions
A naval spring slipped off a metal shelf, And started walking downward by itself.
schopenhauer The Frisbee flying disc originated from empty metal pie tins thrown by hungry college students in New England.
Fun Fact
Play-Doh scent: Hasbro patented the unique smell of Play-Doh in 2018, describing it as a sweet, musky, vanilla-like fragrance.
schopenhauer The Slinky was invented when a marine engineer accidentally knocked a tension spring off a shelf and watched it walk.
Glossary
slinky (noun)
A toy consisting of a helical spring that can perform various tricks, such as traveling down stairs. In 1943, engineer Richard James accidentally created the toy after dropping a tension spring.
A toy consisting of a helical spring that can perform various tricks, such as traveling down stairs. In 1943, engineer Richard James accidentally created the toy after dropping a tension spring.
Quiz
How long did it take Hungarian professor Ernő Rubik to solve his own Rubik's Cube puzzle for the first time?
schopenhauer Match everyday items to their accidental origins to discover the surprising history of pop culture.
Quiz
What was the primary target audience Namco designer Toru Iwatani hoped to attract with Pac-Man in 1980?
Quiz
Which bakery's empty pie tins inspired college students to invent the Frisbee?
Quiz
In what year did the Slinky make its highly successful public debut at Gimbels department store?
Quiz
What profession did Slinky inventor Richard James hold when he discovered the toy's potential?
Quiz
Who suggested turning the Kutol wallpaper cleaner into the toy we now know as Play-Doh?
Quiz
Which toy giant bought the rights to the plastic flying disc and trademarked the name Frisbee in 1957?