top of page

Oops!

Then Genius!

In 1952, 3M chemist Patsy Sherman was trying to invent rubber that could resist jet fuel. Instead, she got a lab surprise: a spilled chemical on a colleague’s white canvas sneakers. It wouldn’t wash off—but oddly, it repelled water and oil.


Most people would’ve shrugged it off. Sherman didn’t. Along with colleague Samuel Smith, she investigated further and realized they had discovered a powerful stain-resistant compound.


By 1956, Scotchgard was born. Originally made to protect upholstery, it became a go-to for anyone who didn’t want to panic over spills. A little lab accident turned into a household lifesaver.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Ked's Women's Center

Ked's Women's Center

Lace Up Sneaker

facts.png
FACTS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Flap Happy and Fabulous
SCIENCE & NATURE

Flap Happy and Fabulous

Tiny Dads, Big Effort:
SCIENCE & NATURE

Tiny Dads, Big Effort:

Fish That Walk
SCIENCE & NATURE

Fish That Walk

The Most Valuable Private Art Collection
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Most Valuable Private Art Collection

The Faster You Go,
SCIENCE & NATURE

The Faster You Go,

Friedrich Wilhelm I Kidnapped Tall Soldiers
HISTORY & INNOVATIONS

Friedrich Wilhelm I Kidnapped Tall Soldiers

ADVERTISEMENT

popular.png
POPULAR NOW
Microscopic close-up of a single cell, representing the earliest forms of life on Earth.
SCIENCE & NATURE

How Life On Earth Began

Close-up of a tarantula, whose venom is being studied for treating drug-resistant melanoma.
SCIENCE & NATURE

Breakthrough: Spider Venom Targets Melanoma...

HISTORY & INNOVATIONS

Poland's First Kings May Have Descended From...

SCIENCE & NATURE

How to Plant a Butterfly Buffet

A lush green tunnel of trees curving over a railway track in Klevan, Ukraine, known as the Tunnel of Love.
GEOGRAPHY

Nature's Accidental Masterpiece

CURIOUS FACTS

Naked Mail Adventures

ADVERTISEMENT

bottom of page