LUCKY ACCIDENTS

Not all accidents are unlucky. Some unlikely mishaps have led to incredible inventions. Find out how the serendipitous slip ups of a giggling Georgian, a sloppy cook and a lazy scientist have made the world a safer place.

Suppose you’re unlucky enough to break your arm. Call the ambulance! Well, it wouldn’t arrive without tyres. in its natural form is thin, white and runny as paper glue. Charlesin the ambulance windscreen is down to Édouard Bénédictus – or Butterfingers Bénédictus to his friends. In 1909 he dropped a glass flask and was surprised when it broke but didn’t shatter. After scratching his head, he realised that the flask had previously held plastic cellulose nitrate, which had formed a film that held the shards together, an invention that revolutionised road safety.