TELEVISION
About
Oops I Changed The World tells the fascinating stories of accidental and surprise inventions that have transformed our lives.
Related Subjects
Episodes
1. Conditioned
51m
Pavlov's investigations into dog digestion lead to phone addiction. A failed quest to find a safer refrigerant creates Teflon. A damaged delivery crate is instrumental in the invention of dynamite. And a chance encounter with a composer leads Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr to invent the basis for wifi.
2. Blue Genes
52m
The failed experiment and the world's greatest crime-fighting tool. A clumsily dressed cut leads to the invention of plastics. How chance conversation and sausage poison changed the face of Hollywood. And a broken thermometer sets in motion a chain of events that frees a country from colonialism.
3. The Beat Goes On
52m
Clumsy gesticulation throws a sample onto a stove, accidentally inventing vulcanized rubber. Grabbing the wrong resistor leads to the pacemaker. Up a failed experiment ignites- discovering a safe way to create flame on demand. A search for new galaxies leads to our best hope of contacting aliens.
4. Flash of Success
52m
Fumes from a broken thermometer cause the invention of photography. Radar parts and a melting snack bar lead to the microwave. Spilling a beaker of experimental chemicals gives rise to Scotchgard. And a routine trial of heart drug has a much more pronounced effect on another organ- becoming Viagra.
5. Sweet Success
52m
A dirty laboratory and a vacation lead to the discovery of our first real weapon against bacteria: penicillin. A scientist's determination to test the 'wrong' solution gives us Kevlar. Unwashed hands and some unexpectedly sweet bread is to thank for Saccharin. A failed laser becomes the LED light.
6. Acid Test
52m
A swiss chemist's attempts to make a lung drug results in LSD. The son of enslaved parents tires to reverse the fortunes of sharecroppers and inadvertently gives rise to PB&J. A failed dye becomes TNT. And a prison camp doctor and a fridge full of urine lead to improve mental healthcare.
7. Hair Raising Science
51m
A failed blood pressure medicine and an unexpectedly hairy woman lead to a cure for baldness. How messing around with a scientific toy gave us the x-ray. An attempt to stop the paper curling in a newspaper printer becomes air conditioning. And why war is responsible for the slinky.
8. Discovering Drink
51m
A clumsy lab worker leads to the invention of superglue. And the accidents behind neuroscience, beer, and chemical hair relaxant.
9. Bigger Bang
51m
A misguided attempt to make plastic wallpaper results in bubble wrap. The precursor to a blood clotting drug becomes rave favorite, MDMA. A mopped-up kitchen spill brings us smokeless explosive guncotton. A defective satellite lens leads to a new way to identify breast cancer.
10. Laxative Lunacy
51m
The accidents behind the inventions of post-it notes, Ex-lax, Graphene and the way a walk in the snow almost leads to nuclear Armageddon.
Extended Details
- Closed CaptionsEnglish