From the cache! Until an all-new episode premiers this October, please enjoy this recast. Bob Ross, American painter and iconic TV host of the 80s and 90s, famously told us that there are no mistakes, only “happy little accidents.” There are numerous examples of history happening by accident--archaeologists accidentally stumbling upon a find, scientists accidentally discovering a breakthrough--and today we explore four such stories.
First, we travel to 1856 when a teenager accidentally discovered mauve and synthetic dye while he was on vacation, which led to the pioneering of immunology and a Nobel prize. Then we head to 1940s France, when a group of teenagers chasing after a dog accidentally stumbled upon Lascaux cave, one of the greatest prehistoric finds of all time. Then we travel to 1767 to visit the Ayutthaya kingdom just before it was invaded by Burma. Almost 200 years later, a seemingly unremarkable statue pulled from its ruins finally tells its secrets: the Golden Buddha or, Phra Phuttha Maha Suwana Patimakon, is now one of the world’s most famous statues, and if it hadn’t been for an accident in the 1950s, we would all still believe it was made of nothing more than plaster and colored glass. Finally, we skip ahead all the way into the 2000s for a look at some accidental breakthrough MS research.
Come join me as we uncover some of history’s most incredible happy little accidents.
Sowing History: The Judean Date Palm’s 2,000 Year Old Comeback
From the Cache: Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer and the Coelacanth
Unsinkable Sam
The Great Stink of 1858
The Second Life of Betty Robinson
The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition Part 2: Their Legacy Remains
The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition Part 1: No Way Home
Ken Allen: The Hairy Houdini
Édith Piaf: The Little Sparrow, Part 2
Édith Piaf: The Little Sparrow, Part 1
The Great 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race: The Finale
The Great 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race Part 3
The Great 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race Part 2
The Great 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race Part 1
When Harry Met Winnie: The True Story of Winnie the Pooh
Stingy Jack and the Origin of Jack-o’-Lanterns
From the Cache: A Strange Experiment on Mackinac Island
From the Cache: The Edmund Fitzgerald
Ornamental Garden Hermits: History’s Weirdest Job
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