In the 1930s, Ruth Wakefield, the owner of the Toll House Inn, added broken chocolate pieces to cookie dough, expecting the chocolate to melt and create chocolate cookies. Instead, the chocolate stayed in chunks, giving birth to the beloved chocolate chip cookie.
In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson accidentally left a mixture of powdered soda and water with a stirring stick outside in freezing temperatures overnight. The next morning, he discovered the frozen treat on the stick, which he later patented as the Popsicle.
In 1853, chef George Crum created the first potato chips by slicing potatoes extremely thin in response to a customer's complaint that his fries were too thick. The result was the crispy snack we know today.
Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist, initially developed Coca-Cola as a medicinal syrup in the late 19th century. The carbonated beverage we know today was created when a soda fountain clerk accidentally mixed the syrup with carbonated water instead of plain water.
In the late 19th century, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his brother Will Kellogg left cooked wheat out overnight, and when they rolled it out the next day, it formed flakes. This mistake led to the creation of the popular breakfast cereal.
Cheetos were invented when a Frito company employee named Richard Montañez sprinkled chili powder on a batch of unseasoned corn puffs. The idea was later presented to the company and became a huge success.
Legend has it that tofu was discovered by a Chinese cook who accidentally curdled soy milk with nigari seaweed. The result was tofu, which has since become a staple in many cuisines.
At the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, an ice cream vendor ran out of bowls. In a moment of innovation, he teamed up with a waffle vendor who rolled his waffles into a cone shape, creating the first ice cream cone.