Velcro was inspired by burrs sticking to a dog's fur

Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar by accident while looking for a lighter tire fiber at DuPont in 1965

Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar by accident while looking for a lighter tire fiber at DuPont in 1965

Bubble Wrap (brand)

Bubble wrap, invented as wallpaper, failed; later became successful packaging material

Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr co-invented frequency hopping technology

Alarm clock

Levi Hutchins invented the first alarm clock in 1787, ringing only at 4 AM

Fax

Fax machine invented in 1843, 33 years before the telephone

Maxwell's equations

Maxwell unified electricity, magnetism, and light into a single theory with four equations