HMH KIDS DISCOVER; AMAZING INVENTIONS

SO THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED!

Most inventions take years of hard work to develop, but some happen simply by accident!

1903

Accidental Safety Glass

In 1903 French chemist Edouard Benedictus discovered safety glass—by accident! He
knocked over a glass container in his lab. It shattered, but the pieces stuck together. A
liquid plastic had been stored in the container. When it evaporated, a plastic film remained
on the glass. This discovery led to a safer glass for car windshields.

SO THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED!

1920s

Nutty for Peanuts

George Washington Carver studied plants. He learned that growing peanuts, soybeans, and
sweet potatoes made soil rich again. These foods helped make poor farm families healthier,
too. Carver used peanuts to make more than 300 products. They include paint, cosmetics,
gasoline, and plastics. His work may be the reason why peanut butter is so popular in the
United States today.

SO THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED!

1950s

No Stain, No Pain

Patsy Sherman and Sam Smith were making a new kind of rubber in their lab. One day an
assistant spilled some of Sherman’s chemicals on her shoe. Nothing worked to clean it off.
The shoe became stained. But one spot stayed clean. The chemical also made the spot
waterproof. Later, Sherman and Smith patented Scotchgard™. People use it to keep the
fabric of clothes, carpets, and furniture from staining.

SO THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED!

1980s

3D Printer

Imagine printing a toy. Not a picture of a toy, but a copy of the actual toy. Charles Hull
created the first 3D printer in the 1980s. In today’s 3D printers, a scanner records detailed
information about an object. The scanner sends the data to a computer. The computer
creates an image of the object and sends the image to the printer. Minutes later, you get a
copy of the object.

SO THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED!

1991

World Wide Web

British engineer and computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee was frustrated. He was working
with scientists from all over the world. Their computers all ran different programs.
Information from one computer could not be sent to another. Berners-Lee felt sure there
had to be an easier way. And there was: the World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee launched the
web in 1991.