Super glue was discovered by accident in 1942 by Dr. Harry Coover, who was trying to create clear plastic for WWII gunsights. He stumbled upon cyanoacrylate, a chemical so sticky it bonded to everything—making it useless for his project.

Years later, while working on jet canopy materials, Coover and colleague Fred Joyner revisited the compound and realized its potential as a powerful adhesive. By 1958, Eastman Kodak launched it as "Eastman 910," and super glue quickly gained fame for its ability to bond almost anything instantly—no heat or pressure needed.

Not bad for a substance once tossed aside as too sticky to be useful.