Three Accidental Inventors

Three Accidental Inventors

From Think Like an Innovator by Paul Sloane

February 5, 2026 · 12 min · Season 4 · Episode 6

About this episode

This episode explores the stories of three accidental inventors and their groundbreaking inventions.

The stories of three great inventions that started by accident. Willis Carrier set out to solve one problem and in the process he invented air-conditioning. Edouard Benedictus had an accident which led to safety glass. Wilson Greatbatch made a mistake and went on to invent the pacemaker. Stories taken from the book, The Art of Unexpected Solutions , by Paul Sloane.

People in this episode

Host: Paul Sloane

Topics covered

  • accidental inventions
  • innovation
  • invention stories
  • problem-solving
  • creativity

Keywords

  • invention
  • accident
  • air-conditioning
  • safety glass
  • pacemaker

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Art of Unexpected Solutions

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