Sometimes, the best ideas are those we didn’t even know we had. A stroke of luck can lead to the purest and most profound genius. An accidental uncovering of a new food, invention, idea, or product can become a world-changing moment. Even if it’s one we didn’t realize at the time!

So many great things have been invented after painstaking research, development, trial, and error. But so many more great things have been created entirely by mistake! In this list, we’ll take a look at ten tales of the latter. These ten things were produced in error if you can believe it. It was only after the mistake was realized and observed by their creators that they knew they’d stumbled upon something pretty good. May we all have this kind of good serendipitous fortune!

Related: Ten Offbeat “Hit-or-Miss” Inventions

10 Cheeseburgers

We all love cheeseburgers, don’t we? That juicy beef patty, those tasty buns, the deliciously fresh toppings, and, of course, the cheese that melts onto the meat as it sits there, making your mouth water. Well, you can thank the mistake of a lifetime for that cheese! As the story goes, a young man named Lionel Clark Sternberger invented the cheeseburger in Pasadena, California.

Sweet, young Lionel was working at his dad’s restaurant in the California city as a short-order cook one day in 1924. He was flipping burgers for a customer’s order one afternoon when he accidentally left one on the grill too long. The patty became burnt. But Lionel, not wanting to waste an otherwise perfectly good slab of beef, opted to throw a slice of cheese on top to conceal the burn. And it worked!

The customer loved the new concoction so much that he begged Lionel to keep making it. Eventually, the restaurant put it on the menu. They even had a funny name for it, terming the concoction the “Aristocratic Burger: the Original Hamburger with Cheese.” Lionel was just 16 years old at the time, but he was quickly recognized as the inventor of the cheeseburger. Of course, it would become an American staple food in the decades after that. And it all started after a grill error!^[1]

9 Jason’s Hockey Mask

Jason Voorhees’s hockey mask in Friday the 13th is so iconic that it has transcended the movie series. By now, it has become a much larger part of horror movie culture, Halloween culture, and just general Americana. But the whole thing almost never happened! In fact, putting the actor Richard Brooker in a hockey mask in the first place was entirely an off-the-cuff idea that was done simply to save money!

While the production team was filming Friday the 13th Part 3, director Steve Miner needed to do a lighting check on Brooker in a certain spot before filming a scene. The only problem was that nobody on set wanted to do all the work of putting together Brooker’s face prosthesis and grotesque makeup just for a quick two-second lighting check. So, instead, the crew opted to take the easy way out and make Brooker wear a hockey mask for the lighting check.

The film’s 3-D supervisor just so happened to have one and offered it to the production for use. They put it on Brooker, he stood for the lighting check, and Miner absolutely loved how it came across on camera. And thus, totally by accident, the hockey mask horror icon was created! The world would have never seen it had it not been for some lazy film crew members dragging their feet during the production. So it seems that sometimes, laziness really can pay off! You hear that, Mom?^[2]

8 Nachos

It may stun you to learn that nachos were entirely discovered by mistake. After an improvisation came up with this new Mexican food, the whole thing quickly blew up. And now, we have nachos everywhere! And for good reason—they are tasty as hell!

So in the early 20th century, there was a man named Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya. He was the maitre d’ at a restaurant called the Victory Club in the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico. There, military members at nearby Fort Duncan Army Base often crossed the border with their wives and families to enjoy meals in Mexico. One day, a group of nearly a dozen military wives crossed the border without their husbands. They knew Nacho was a talented and capable manager at the Victory Club, and they wanted to push him a little bit. So they asked him to come up with a new dish that they hadn’t yet tried.

Nacho was stumped for a minute—until he decided to make up a plate of tostadas and cover them with grated cheese. Then, he passed it through a broiling unit to heat the whole thing to a crisp. When that was done, he topped it with jalapenos to give the women a little bit of a spicy kick. And just like that, nachos were born! And yes, they took their name after Anaya’s nickname. That part is only fitting. Gotta give the man some credit for creating one of the tastiest foods out there!^[3]

7 Luca Brasi

While The Godfather was being filmed, director Francis Ford Coppola ran into a bit of a problem. One scene called for a character named Luca Brasi to show up. Brasi was to be a mob enforcer working for the legendary Don Corleone. And Coppola needed a really, really intimidating guy to play Brasi. But what ended up happening wasn’t on anybody’s radar—because the real mob enforcer they got to play Brasi ended up bumbling his lines for a totally unforeseen reason!

To play Luca Brasi on screen, Coppola hired a man named Lenny Montana. Now, Lenny was a real-life mob enforcer. He was as tough as they come and had seen and done some, uh, less than above-board things during his life in the mafia. But when it came time to appear on screen alongside Marlon Brando, Lenny fumbled all his lines. Now, you might assume that he stumbled over his lines because the script called for his character to be intimidated by Brando’s Don Corleone. But that’s not the case!

In reality, Lenny was absolutely starstruck that he was in the same room as a legend like Brando. The real-life, tough-guy mob enforcer was so overcome with the power of Brando’s celebrity that he nearly couldn’t remember any of his lines. He stumbled and faltered as the scene was being filmed simply because he was such a fan of Brando. But when Coppola went back to look at the tape, the stumble worked! The line flubs and mistakes turned out to be the perfect thing at the perfect time for the movie. Now THAT is true serendipity!^[4]

6 Ms. Pac-Man

In 1982, two MIT students decided to create a fun and interactive game called Crazy Otto. But instead of building out the whole thing from scratch, they went the easy route: they hacked into a Pac-Man machine and modified it. Once inside the machine and tinkering around with its inner workings, they began to perfect their Crazy Otto creation. And it was a hit! Well, at least among their close friends, who all enjoyed playing the game on a small level. But the duo didn’t think to commercialize the thing, knowing they’d pilfered Pac-Man’s intellectual property to make Crazy Otto in the first place.

Then, a stroke of luck followed their stroke of genius. It wasn’t long before Midway Games learned that the two students had hacked into Pac-Man and changed the game. And instead of going forth with a lawsuit or asking the pair to knock it off, they bought them out! Midway liked the hacked creation so much that they bought it from the college kids. In turn, they replaced Otto with a female Pac-Man and gave her a bow to wear. And thus, thanks to the unforeseen decision by two young men to hack a Pac-Man machine, Ms. Pac-Man was created. How lucky!^[5]

5 Star Trek’s Transporters

The transporters that popped up in Star Trek are such a cool idea. And one that we hope would one day be possible (far, far) into the future! But they didn’t come around on the television show for any real reason other than, well, they were cheap to film! Initially, producers wanted their characters to take shuttles to various places where they were going. Or alternatively, they could land their ship at whatever location it called for in the script. But that would have meant lots of expensive filming of various scenes in various places. And a ton of hassle in assembling actors and props for very short shots.

So, instead, the transporters came into being! It was an accidental thought the production team was having one day when they decided that a simple transporter making a human disappear in one spot and reappear in another would solve all their problems! Obviously, there would be no budget issues from that move. And they could produce the whole thing on camera with very little need for special effects. Then, when they started doing it, the transporter move became a huge success with fans! That was sort of an unintended consequence, too, but producers were certainly happy about it.^[6]

4 I’m Walking Here!

In the legendary movie Midnight Cowboy, actor Jon Voight plays Joe Buck—a small-town Texas native who goes to New York City. While in the Big Apple, he then gets scammed by Ratso, who was a disabled con man played so memorably by Dustin Hoffman. Much of the movie is about the chaos and uncertainty of life in New York City. But since the filmmakers didn’t have permits to shoot out on the streets of the massive metropolis, they had to improvise. And that’s how they got one of the best lines in movie history—totally by accident!

The line, of course, is “I’m walking here!” Hoffman was the one who yelled it out after a taxi cab nearly ran them over. And since the filmmakers didn’t have permits, and the scene had to be shot on a hidden camera, that was a real taxi cab—not an actor driving a car on a set!

What really happened was that Hoffman was walking across the street just to get a general shot of him moving for a scene. But unexpectedly, a cab crossed his path as he had the walk signal. The car almost ran him over. So, completely off the cuff and without going to the script, Hoffman ad-libbed the line. The producers loved it so much that they kept it in the final cut of the movie. And now it’s legendary!^[7]

3 The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk was originally supposed to be gray. When he first popped up in a May 1962 comic, the character was intended to be a pretty basic shade of gray. That was on purpose so that his color wouldn’t offend any one particular ethnic group. But the Marvel printers were acting up when it came time to print out that first comic book because the Incredible Hulk turned into a strange and different shade of gray on every single page! Printers hated how he changed color on each page, and the Marvel folks weren’t that thrilled, either. But there was nothing to do!

Until the next issue was released, that is. In the second issue detailing the Hulk’s activities, Marvel designers changed his color from the original gray to a deep, pleasing green. Thankfully, the printer was able to handle the green. And nobody really noticed that the Hulk had been gray in the first issue. They just took the story in stride with his green skin and let it be. Until now, that is as people have looked back to see how the Hulk didn’t originally begin as the green hero we know him as today. But to think the iconic green only ever came around due to a printing error! Could you imagine him now had he stayed gray this whole time?^[8]

2 Corn Flakes

The popular breakfast cereal Corn Flakes was created from a wheat-based dough that had been accidentally left out for an extended period of time. Will Kellogg, who was working on a health resort and lifestyle project (more on that in a minute) at the time, figured out that the fermenting done by the dough had caused it to become somewhat moldy. In a stroke of genius, while trying to salvage whatever food he could from that mishap, he rolled the moldy dough into thin sheets. Then, he baked the sheets. The fermentation and the high baking temperatures combined to create the first-ever batch of thin, crispy Corn Flakes that so many millions of people love to eat today. Crazy, right? What a fortunate mistake!

And yet, that’s only half the story, if you can believe it. As we mentioned, Kellogg was working on an entire lifestyle program as part of a retreat he was running at the time. One of his specific goals with the retreat was that he wanted people to masturbate less. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Kellogg was a dietitian by trade, but he was very notably an anti-masturbation activist in his life. So he wanted to develop bland foods that would not “excite the passions,” as he was fond of saying. Thus, when the mistake that created Corn Flakes popped up, he made the most of it. And now, whenever you eat Corn Flakes from here on out, you can think of Will Kellogg’s dislike of self-pleasure.^[9]

1 Chocolate Chip Cookies

The chocolate chip cookie was invented by accident nearly 100 years ago. Ruth Wakefield was a New England woman who owned a place called the Tollhouse Inn. She loved baking cookies for weary travelers staying at her cozy little hotel. The only problem was that one day, she found out she was out of baker’s chocolate when it came time to throw a batch into the oven. Undaunted, she decided to substitute sweetened chocolate in its place to see what would happen. She broke the chocolate into small chunks, added it to the cookie dough, and put it all into the oven to bake.

Naturally, she expected the chocolate to melt and create the mainstay chocolate cookies for which she was already so regionally famous. But that’s not what happened! The sweetened chocolate kept its form within the cookies. The surprising result was a huge hit with travelers who came through the inn that day—and for many days after. Eventually, sweet old Mrs. Wakefield sold the accidental recipe (and the Tollhouse brand name, which became Toll House) to Nestle for just $1. Oh, and they also gave her a lifetime supply of chocolate. That’s nice!^[10]

Whether we choose to admit it or not, we have all made mistakes at one time or another. Even though these errors help us learn and grow along the way, that also does not mean we are immune to future mistakes.

A childhood mistake might consist of something simple such as forgetting to put away your toys or failing to turn in your homework, whereas an adult mistake might be something a bit more serious such as forgetting to lock the doors to your home or accidentally leaving the stove on. Yet regardless of the error, we are faced with some sort of disciplinary action or punishment as a result of our oversight.

However, we typically would not equate being shot at or losing our life as a “punishment” for something as simple as a mistake. We also certainly would not assume that our error in judgment might take another’s life. Unfortunately, this was the sad reality for those on this list.

Here are ten times a seemingly innocent mistake led to a tragic outcome.

Related: Top 10 Stupid Mistakes That Ended A Serial Killer’s Career

9 Getting into the Wrong Car

In the early morning hours of April 18, 2023, 18-year-old Payton Washington, 21-year-old Heather Roth, and two other young women were heading home from cheerleading practice at Woodlands Elite Cheer Co. in Oak Ridge North, Texas.

Given that the young women had to travel approximately 360 miles (579 kilometers) round-trip three times a week for their competitive cheerleading practice, they used the H-E-B supermarket in Elgin, Texas, as a meeting place and then carpooled together.

When the women arrived back at the H-E-B parking lot, Roth exited her friend’s car and opened the door to a vehicle she believed was hers. Unfortunately, Roth noticed a man sitting in the passenger seat. Assuming a stranger was in her car, Roth panicked and promptly exited the vehicle, getting back into her friend’s car.

The person in the mistaken car then got out and approached the young women. Roth rolled down her window and attempted to apologize for the mix-up, but the man “threw his hands up, pulled out a gun, and started shooting.”

Washington was unfortunately shot in the leg and back during the altercation, causing damage to multiple organs. She was taken to a local hospital by helicopter, where she underwent surgery to remove her ruptured spleen. Roth suffered a graze wound and was treated and released at the scene.

The suspect, 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., was taken into custody and charged with deadly conduct.^[1]

9 Misplaced DoorDash Order

On September 8, 2022, 20-year-old Fernando Soloman of Conyers, Georgia, placed an order with DoorDash. However, when the DoorDash driver arrived, Solomon’s food was delivered to the wrong duplex unit and left next door.

Naturally assuming there was a simple way to rectify the mistake, Soloman went next door to retrieve his food. Sadly, not only would Soloman never receive his food, but he also would never make it back home.

When Soloman arrived next door, one of the residents, 44-year-old Zaire Watson Sr., received a Ring camera notification on his cell phone. Given that he was not home at the time, he called his son, Zaire Cortell Watson Jr., who was at home at the time. Watson Jr. stated he then saw Soloman reach into his pocket, so he opened the door and shot him.

Deputies were later dispatched to the scene and found Soloman on the ground bleeding from gunshot wounds. The deputies attempted to perform first aid and stop the blood flow until EMS arrived, but Soloman died on the scene.

Watson Jr. was detained at the scene and admitted to the shooting. He was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault, murder, and felony murder.^[2]

8 Incorrect Use of Pesticide

In an attempt to kill mice, Peter Balderas spread Weevil-Cide pellets—a fumigant used against destructive pests and burrowing rodents—underneath the mobile home he shared with his wife Martha and their eight children in Amarillo, Texas.

Balderas obtained the heavily-regulated commercial-grade pesticide from a friend, Isidro Ulloa, who was not a licensed fumigator and did not inform Balderas about the product. Unfortunately, the directions were solely in English, so Balderas, who is a native Spanish speaker and cannot read English, was unable to read the product instructions and was unaware of the deadly gas the pesticide creates if misused.

Therefore, when someone in the home complained about the smell of the pesticide, Balderas crawled underneath his home and attempted to simply wash away the Weevil-Cide with water from a garden hose. Weevil-Cide reacts when it is mixed with moisture, so in doing so, Balderas unknowingly released phosphine gas.

On January 2, 2017, a friend went to the Balderas’s home and called 911 after finding everyone sick.

Sadly, four of the Balderas children—three boys aged 7, 9, and 11, and a 17-year-old girl—died due to “complications of acute aluminum phosphide (phosphine gas) exposure” as well as pulmonary edema, one on scene and the other three at the hospital. Balderas and his other four children were hospitalized for several days, and Martha spent weeks in intensive care but survived.

The Balderases went on to file a wrongful death lawsuit against United Phosphorus, the maker of Weevil-Cide, given the lack of adequate bilingual instructions and warnings. They also named Ulloa in the lawsuit.^[3]

7 Pulling into the Wrong Driveway

On April 15, 2023, 19-year-old Blake Walsh, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis—his girlfriend of four years—and two other friends were traveling together in search of a party that was being held by local high school graduates in Hebron, New York. An additional group of friends—one in a car and one on a motorcycle—were also traveling with Walsh’s Ford Explorer to the party.

Just before 10 pm, the group drove up the driveway of a residence where they assumed the party was. Unfortunately, given the rural area, lack of cell service, and poorly lit driveways, it wasn’t until later that the group of friends realized they were at the wrong location.

Sadly, even though no one in the group exited the vehicle or attempted to enter the property, as they began to turn around and leave, the property owner, 65-year-old Kevin Monahan, who “had a reputation as a sour character who did not like visitors,” fired two shots from his front porch.

Gillis was in the front passenger seat, and given that Walsh’s SUV was the last vehicle to turn around, one of the bullets entered through the rear driver’s side, striking Gillis in the neck.

Walsh drove for approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) in search of cell service before reaching the neighboring town of Salem and being able to call 911. Emergency responders arrived and attempted to perform CPR on Gillis, but she was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene.

When police arrived at Monahan’s residence, he was initially uncooperative, refusing to speak with investigators, stating he had been “in bed since 8:30 pm.” and blaming the gunfire on hunters. However, after an hour of authorities communicating with him both in person and through a 911 dispatcher, Monahan was taken into custody early the next day and was charged with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence.

Monahan’s lawyer later issued a statement regarding the shooting that said, “The vehicles speeding up the driveway with engines revving and lights shining certainly caused some level of alarm to an elderly gentleman who had an elderly wife” and that Mr. Monahan “sincerely regrets this tragedy.”^[4]

6 Mistaken for a Car Thief

On December 31, 2022, 30-year-old Quadarius McDowell took his car to the Tires Plus shop in Decatur, Georgia, in order to have brake work done on the vehicle. However, when McDowell returned to pick up his vehicle, tragedy unfolded.

Upon his return, McDowell saw 24-year-old Daniel Gordon driving his vehicle in the parking lot. Gordon was a mechanic at the Tires Plus location and was simply taking the car for a test drive. Sadly, McDowell assumed Gordon was trying to steal his vehicle and began firing multiple shots, hitting Gordon, and then fleeing the scene on foot.

Gordon was taken to a local hospital but did not survive. McDowell was found hiding nearby a short time later and was arrested. He was charged with malice murder.^[5]

5 Knocking on the Wrong Apartment Door

Nineteen-year-old Omarion Banks and his girlfriend, Zsakeria Mathis, had just moved into a new apartment in Atlanta, Georgia. Banks had been visiting his mother, so in the early morning hours of March 29, 2019, Mathis sent a Lyft to pick up Banks and bring him home.

Unfortunately, the Lyft driver dropped Banks off near the wrong breezeway, and since he wasn’t familiar with the area, he ended up knocking on the wrong apartment door.

While Banks eventually began to walk away from the door, the resident of the apartment, 32-year-old Darryl Bynes, grabbed his gun before heading out on his balcony to confront Banks. From there, a verbal exchange ensued between the two, and even though Banks tried to apologize before fleeing down the stairs, Bynes fired his gun three times, striking Banks twice in the neck.

Bynes then called 911 and told the dispatcher he fired in self-defense, assuming Banks was trying to break into his apartment. First responders were sent to the complex, but even with both EMTs and neighbors attempting to provide medical attention to Banks, he died on the scene.

Bynes was charged with murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree criminal property damage, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On July 18, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years.^[6]

4 Basketball Rolling into Neighbor’s Yard

April 18, 2023, initially seemed like a normal spring evening. William James White was grilling and his six-year-old daughter Kinsley was playing with friends and riding her bike while another group of kids played a game of basketball in their Crowders Mountain, North Carolina, neighborhood.

At some point during the game, the basketball rolled into 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary’s yard. However, as the children went to retrieve the ball, Singletary began yelling at them. One of the children then told his father what happened, and the father went to Singletary’s house to confront him. But the confrontation only fueled Singletary’s anger. Singletary went inside his home, got a gun, and came out of the door running, opening fire on the neighbors.

White then stepped in and attempted to round up the neighborhood children and get them to safety. Given the dangerous behavior, White then approached Singletary and told him there were too many children outside for him to be shooting. White’s comment did not sit well with Singletary, who dropped the gun he was holding, grabbed another, and began firing at White and his daughter Kinsley.

After three shots, White saw Singletary point his gun straight at Kinsley, and as White ran to shield her from the gunfire, he was shot in the back. The bullet punctured one of his lungs and liver before exiting from his belly. The shrapnel from the bullet then lodged in Kinsley’s cheek. Singletary went on to fire three more times before fleeing the scene.

Upon hearing the gunshots, Carl Hilderbrand, Kinsley’s grandfather, instructed neighbors to call 911. White was taken to a local hospital and later flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, before being released on April 22, 2023. Kinsley was taken to the emergency room, where she was treated.

On April 20, 2023, Singletary, who had made it all the way to Tampa, Florida, turned himself in and was later extradited to North Carolina. He faces four charges of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflict serious injury, and possession of a firearm by a felon.^[7]

3 Choosing Wrong Hiding Spot During Hide and Seek Game

On May 7, 2023, an unidentified 14-year-old girl was among a group of juveniles that were playing hide and seek in a Starks, Louisiana, neighborhood. However, the children made the unfortunate mistake of playing hide and seek in a neighbor’s backyard and hiding on the property.

Therefore, when the property owner, 58-year-old David V. Doyle, observed “shadows outside his home,” he went to retrieve his firearm. Although the children meant no harm, when Doyle saw people running away from his property, he began firing at them, unknowingly hitting the 14-year-old girl in the back of the head.

Deputies were called to the scene, and the teenager was transported to an out-of-town hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Her family later stated she was “okay and recovering.”

Doyle was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and illegal discharge of a firearm.^[8]

2 Mistaken Identity

Thirty-six-year-old Kerisha Johnson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was nine months pregnant and days away from giving birth to her third daughter.

Tragically, on April 16, 2023, as Johnson was picking people up from an Easter “teen party,” several people pulled out guns before pointing them at Johnson’s vehicle and opening fire. Johnson attempted to flee the scene but was struck, killing both her and her unborn baby.

The shooters had encountered a vehicle earlier in the night that fired a round into the air as they drove past the party. Unfortunately, when Johnson arrived, they mistook her white sedan for the vehicle that had driven by earlier and began shooting at her before fleeing the scene.

Nineteen-year-old Marques Porch was later located by police, along with several other passengers. Porch, along with nineteen-year-old Gregory Parker and 19-year-old Derrick Curry, were all arrested and charged with second-degree murder and first-degree feticide. Porch, who provided firearms to the other two teens, was employed by the Department of Corrections as a transportation driver but was “terminated immediately.”

Nineteen-year-old Desmond Robinson and 18-year-old Torey Campbell were also later arrested for their involvement in the shooting and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree feticide.^[9]

1 Went to the Wrong House to Pick Up Siblings

On April 13, 2023, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl’s mother asked him to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house located at Northeast 115th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri. However, Yarl had never been to the home before and accidentally arrived at the wrong address—Northeast 115th Street.

Unaware of his mistake, Yarl naturally pulled his car into the driveway before walking up the steps and ringing the doorbell. After waiting “a long time,” 84-year-old Andrew Lester opened the door but pulled out a gun, aiming directly at Yarl. Yarl stated Lester then told him, “Don’t ever come here again,” before pulling the trigger, hitting Yarl in the head and the right arm.

Despite his injuries, Yarl went to multiple homes, shouting for help until someone finally answered and agreed to contact the police. Yarl was taken to the hospital, and although he survived, he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Lester was detained for less than two hours the night of the shooting but turned himself in approximately one week later. Regarding the shooting, Lester claimed he was scared and “believed someone was attempting to break into the house” after seeing a “black male approximately 6 feet [1.8 meters] tall.”

Lester was charged with felony first-degree assault and armed criminal action but pleaded not guilty to the charges. On April 18, 2023, Lester was released on bond pending his preliminary hearing in August 2023.

Given that the shooting happened in the neighborhood where Yarl lived, he initially went to live with his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, before his family eventually relocated to another area.^[10]