Mistakes That Worked

40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be

Illustrated by John O'Brien

Popsicles, potato chips, Silly Putty, Velcro, and many other familiar things have fascinating stories behind them. In fact, dozens of products and everyday items had surprisingly haphazard beginnings. Mistakes That Worked offers forty of these unusual tales, along with hilarious cartoons and weird and amazing facts. Readers will be surprised and inspired!

  • WINNER | 1996
    Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
Charlotte Foltz Jones is the author of Mistakes That WorkedAccidents May Happen, Eat Your Words, and Fingerprints and Talking Bones. View titles by Charlotte Foltz Jones
John O’Brien has held writing fellowships at the University of Iowa and Stanford University, and he was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. His work has appeared in Hudson ReviewMassachusetts ReviewTriQuarterlyCountry JournalHarrowsmith, and Gray’s Sporting Journal. He lives with his wife, Becky, in Franklin, West Virginia. View titles by John O'Brien

About

Popsicles, potato chips, Silly Putty, Velcro, and many other familiar things have fascinating stories behind them. In fact, dozens of products and everyday items had surprisingly haphazard beginnings. Mistakes That Worked offers forty of these unusual tales, along with hilarious cartoons and weird and amazing facts. Readers will be surprised and inspired!

Awards

  • WINNER | 1996
    Kentucky Bluegrass Master List

Author

Charlotte Foltz Jones is the author of Mistakes That WorkedAccidents May Happen, Eat Your Words, and Fingerprints and Talking Bones. View titles by Charlotte Foltz Jones
John O’Brien has held writing fellowships at the University of Iowa and Stanford University, and he was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. His work has appeared in Hudson ReviewMassachusetts ReviewTriQuarterlyCountry JournalHarrowsmith, and Gray’s Sporting Journal. He lives with his wife, Becky, in Franklin, West Virginia. View titles by John O'Brien

Books for Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Every May we celebrate the rich history and culture of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Browse a curated selection of fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators that we think your students will love. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

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