From The Mind of Merc - Inventions (Accidental)

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today, following on from last month's post about killer inventions, I was thinking about inventions that came about by accident.
It's amazing how many familiar products came about by sheer fluke.

Here are a few examples of those lucky enough to create something successful by accident:

Slinky – Inventor: Richard Jones
– He was actually trying to make a meter to monitor power on battleships using tension springs
Penicillin – Inventor: Alexander Fleming
– He was actually trying to make a wonder drug - penicillin was discovered on a dish he threw away
Choc chip cookies – Inventor: Ruth Wakefield
– She was actually trying to make normal chocolate cookies but the bits didn't melt
Crisps – Inventor: George Crum
– He was actually trying to make a plate of fried potato that a customer insisted needed to be thinner
Pacemaker – Inventor: John Hopps
– He was actually trying to make a way to use radio frequency to restore body temperature
Silly Putty – Inventor: James Wright
– He was actually trying to make a rubber substitute out of silicon during WWII
Microwave – Inventor: Percy Spencer
– He was actually trying to make a radar related project
Saccharin – Inventor: Constantine Fahlberg
– She was actually trying to make a oxidisation experiment - a chemical spill lead to a sweet discovery
Fireworks – Inventor: chef in China
– He was actually trying to make a new cooking experiment using charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre
Scotchgard – Inventor: Patsy Sherman
– She was actually trying to make a rubber material that would be resistant to exposure from jet fuels
Cornflakes – Inventor: John and Will Kellogg
– They were actually trying to make boiled grain but they left it on the stove too long
LSD – Inventor: Albert Hofmann
– He was actually trying to make lysergic acid derivatives and accidentally swallowed some
Post-its – Inventor: Spencer Silver
– He was actually trying to make a strong adhesive and ended up with the opposite result
X Rays – Inventor: Wilhelm Rontgen
– He was actually trying to make advances in cathodic ray tube experiments
Inkjet printer – Inventor: Canon engineer
– He was actually wasn't trying to make anything - he was on a break but rested his hot iron on his pen

Who knows what other coincidental creations will be made in the future 

Companions song - !!!NEW!!!

And then an equally complex Whovian parody of the Monarchs song from Horrible Histories:

Monarchs Companions Song not from Horrible Histories
My name is Susan Foreman I’m the doctor’s granddaughter
You never will forget me and, you never should oughta
I was the first to travel in the TARDIS with my gramps
Against all of our enemies we always were the champs
To help remember all his friends, I've come up with this song
A simple rhyming ditty, for you all to sing along, oh...
Susan!
Bit short, innit? We need more names! Who came next?

Bar-bra Wright, a teacher
Followed Susan, grave error
With her colleague, Ian C
Both worked (at) Coal Hill, you see
Then came Vicki, ‘cause Susan’s gone!
And Steven Taylor a hanger on
Sara Kingdom joined the fight
Dodo Chaplet? Yes, that's right!
Oh Katarina, what a tragedy
Gave her life so that they could flee

Chorus:
Susan, Bar-bra, Ian, Vicki
Steve, Sara, Dodo, Kat! 

If you are new, we’re not near through, Troughton’s where we’re at

Next Polly a secretary
And Ben Jackson too
Then we have Jamie McCrimmon, a Scot och aye the noo
Victor-ya a loyal daughter, she’s forced to face all her fears
Next Zoe H she joined the team
Then Liz Shaw she appears
We’re on to three, then you’ll see
The companion’s Jo Grant (tada)
Had to earn the Doctor’s trust
‘Til Sarah Jane arrived (hurrah)
Harry S, Leela then
Romana one and two
With K9’s help on board and Adric’s
A stowaway in the crew
So Nyssa then five’s begun
A new regeneration
Tegan Jovanka too, who speaks indigenous Australian
Vislor Turlough, just let him go
Then an android
Yes!
Kamelion, asked the doctor
To help end his distress

Chorus:
Susan, Bar-bra, Ian, Vicki
Steve, Sara, Dodo, Kat!
Pol, Ben, Jamie, Vic, Zoe
Liz, Jo, SJ’s where we’re at
Harry, Leela, Romana
Adric, Nyssa, Tegan then
Then Turlough Kamel-yon

We now lose Davison

Peri Brown’s in the TARDIS
'Til she leaves to wed a king
When things resume, it’s now Mel Bush
The one with a big grin
We then get Ace before some space
Because they’ve gone off the air
In the movie it’s Grace you’ll see
Then Rose Tyler is who’s there
She and Mickey, who met one day
Captain Jack Harkness - immortal
And so from then, we’re following ten
Still we’ve not reached Clara Oswald! 

Chorus:
Susan, Bar-bra, Ian, Vicki
Steve, Sara, Dodo, Kat!
Pol, Ben, Jamie, Vic, Zoe
Liz, Jo, SJ’s where we’re at
Harry, Leela, Romana
Adric, Nyssa, Tegan then
And Turlough Kamel-yon
Peri Brown, Mel, Ace and then
Grace, Rose, Mickey and Captain Jack

There’s still some key ones that we lack

And so began Tennant’s rebound gang
Donna and Martha
Jones!
Then Amy Pond she tags along
So Smith’s not on his own
Her husband too he joins the crew
Is he just a third wheel?
Hang on!
He’s actually the Centurion
And is really a big deal
Bang on!
And River Song she is fam-ly
You what!
It's time for a new tale to be told
When the Ponds are gone then just look who comes
Yes it is Clara Oswald!

Chorus:
Susan, Bar-bra, Ian, Vicki
Steve, Sara, Dodo, Kat!
Pol, Ben, Jamie, Vic, Zoe
Liz, Jo, SJ’s where we’re at
Harry, Leela, Romana
Adric, Nyssa, Tegan then
And Turlough Kamel-yon
Peri Brown, Mel, Ace and then
Grace, Rose, Mickey Captain Jack - hurrah
Don(na), Marth(a), Am(y), Ror(y)
River, then Clara
Now it’s Clara, now it’s Clara, now it’s Clara

She’s the impossible girl, you know

Nardole, and Bill
Graham, Ryan, Jaz
Dan Lewis joined the team
And so our companions song
Is brought up to fourteen

Chorus:
Susan, Bar-bra, Ian, Vicki
Steve, Sara, Dodo, Kat!
Pol, Ben, Jamie, Vic, Zoe
Liz, Jo, SJ’s where we’re at
Harry, Leela, Romana
Adric, Nyssa, Tegan then
And Turlough Kamel-yon
Peri Brown, Mel Ace and then
Grace, Rose, Mickey Captain Jack - hurrah
Don(na), Marth(a), Am(y), Ror(y)
River then Clara
Nardole, Bill, Graham, Ryan 
Then Yas and Dan help reach the end

Let’s not forget the Brigadier
The one who we now all should cheer

Supercalifragilisticexpialitimelord - !!!NEW!!!

Having a stinking cold unfortunately delayed the proper upload of September's creations. But here they are now for you to enjoy. The first one a tongue-twisting Whovian parody of the classic Mary Poppins song:

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocioustimelord not from Mary Poppins
It's Hartnelltroughtonpertweebakerdav-sonbakermccoy
They’re who started off the whole regeneration convoy
When it comes to aliens now who else would you deploy
Hartnelltroughtonpertweebakerdav-sonbakermccoy
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey

Way back in nineteen sixty three on your old TV set
Came a brand new programme like the world hadn’t seen yet
An old but clever traveller in as big strange blue box
Is here to save the world that is just how the doctor rocks 

Oh, Hartnelltroughtonpertweebakerdav-sonbakermccoy
They’re who started off the whole regeneration convoy
When it comes to aliens now who else would you deploy
Hartnelltroughtonpertweebakerdav-sonbakermccoy
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey

He travelled all through time and space but despite all his deeds
At avoiding being cancelled sadly didn’t succeed
But we can’t get enough timelords and ninety six’s when
We got another lot who started it all off again (woo)

Mcgannhurtecclestontennantsmithcapaldiwhit-ker
A new series came on the back of that motion picture
The doctor is here to stay on that we can all concur
Mcgannhurtecclestontennantsmithcapaldiwhit-ker
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey
From-galli-frey yes-from-Galli- frey

You know you can say it backwards which is
Raxacoricofallapatorius
But that just doesn't sound quite right, don't you think?
Indubitably 

So when the Daleks threaten or the cybermen are here (they’re here?)
There’ no reason for panic so please just allay your fear
But encountering the doctor well that could change your life 

For example
Yes?
Since I first met the doctor my whole world is filled with strife
Oh, but I wouldn’t want to change that
It’s 

Hartnelltroughtonpertweebakerdav-sonbakermccoy
Mcgannhurtecclestontennantsmithcapaldiwhit-ker
Hartnelltroughtonpertweebakerdav-sonbakermccoy
Mcgannhurtecclestontennantsmithcapaldiwhit-ker