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For those readers who feel as though they've yet to accomplish anything in life, these discoveries will come as a great relief. None of the inventions described in these pages were planned; in fact, some of the inventors had no idea they'd stumbled on something useful until years later, when their works became popular. Jones covers both patented inventions (Silly Putty, Popsicles, Coca Cola) and generic ones (bricks, donut holes, cheese). She also throws in some place names whose monikers were coined accidentally. The loony watercolor sketches and all the extras here--fun facts, recipes, and anecdotes--are perfect for browsing. This book covers material similar to that in Wulffson's The Invention of Ordinary Things (Lothrop, 1981) and Steven Caney's Invention Book (Workman, 1985), but both are without the specific slant of "mistaken discovery." The only detriment to this otherwise versatile book is the cartoon stereotypes of the Eskimo, Native American, and Chinese man.

也许你想不到，我们每天都用到的很多物品，它们的发明来自偶然的小错误。防污剂的出现，是因为一位科学家误把实验材料滴到了鞋上；薯片的诞生，是因为有个厨师非常气愤顾客嫌他炸的土豆块不够薄；可口可乐、泥彩蛋、储钱罐、X光和许多其他我们熟悉的物品背后都有发明趣闻。40个不同寻常的小故事、不可思议的大发明，加上幽默的漫画，构成了这本妙趣横生的书。

可知道：早餐桌上常见的麦片，是有人无意间把稀粥溅到炉子上烤成的? 风靡全世界的玩具——溜溜球，以前是打猎工具?而著名的“阿基米德原理”是科学家泡澡时突然灵光一闪诞生的伟大发现?别怀疑，世界上有许许多多重要的发明和发现，都是从一些料想不到的意外中得来的!微波炉、电话、醋、爆米花、风筝、涂改液……这些影响并改善我们生活的物品，在发明时都有一段趣味横生同时也充满启示的故事。

Book Titles:
Mistakes That Worked 小错误，大发明
Accidents That Worked 小意外，大发明