Accidents May Happen

In 2600 B.C., a dozing Egyptian slave created the first loaf of bread when the dough rose during his nap. According to Accidents May Happen: Fifty Inventions Discovered by Mistake, by Charlotte Foltz Jones, with black-and-white illustrations by John O'Brien, the world can thank some of history's lesser-known bunglers for peanut brittle, nitrous oxide and a raft of other indispensable inventions that continue to stand the test of time.