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Innovation doesn’t always follow a straight line. Some of history’s most famous inventions, including the microwave, were born from accidents. Others, though not strictly accidental, ended up serving a completely different purpose than originally intended — such as the blood pressure medication that ended up becoming a famous hair loss remedy. 

These inventions, though all surprising in their own way, share some commonalities: ingenuity, adaptability, and a keen eye for potential. While their creators may not have set out to change the world in the ways they ultimately did, they recognized and seized the opportunities that lay before them. Here are five inventions whose original purposes were completely different.

Silly String

Silly String may be a nostalgic party staple now, but it was originally a medical product. In the 1960s, chemist Robert P. Cox and inventor Leonard A. Fish set out to create an instant spray-on cast for broken bones. During their experiments, which included testing upward of 500 different spraying vessels, they discovered the material could be sprayed in long, sticky strands from a certain pressurized can. 

The pair saw the potential in their silly substance and brought it to California toy company Wham-O, home to such popular toys as the Frisbee and the Slip ‘N Slide. The meeting didn’t exactly go as planned. Cox and Fish excitedly demonstrated the spray to — and on — the Wham-O employee, and they were subsequently asked to leave. 

The following day, however, the eager inventors were asked to send 24 cans to Wham-O for a second look. Despite being reformulated over the years to comply with changing regulations — notably the 1978 U.S. ban on Freon as a propellant — Silly String has remained a staple on store shelves ever since. According to Cox’s 2008 obituary, he couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated that, of all his endeavors, it was his silliest invention that ultimately took off.

Play-Doh

Anyone who’s cleaned Play-Doh out of carpet or picked up all its little crumbs knows how messy it can be, so it may come as a surprise that it was originally used as a cleaner. In the 1930s, Cincinnati-based soap manufacturer Kutol began making its own version of a doughy putty used to remove soot from wallpaper. This was a common need at a time when homes were still primarily heated by coal furnaces, and after Kroger stores agreed to carry Kutol’s wall cleaner, the once-struggling company found new footing. But by the end of World War II, homes largely switched to gas and oil heating, and demand for the cleaner began to wane. 

By the 1950s, the company had yet again fallen on tough times. But its fate turned once more after a Kutol executive’s sister-in-law, Kay Zufall — who also happened to be a nursery school teacher — suggested repurposing the dough as a children’s toy. 

With a few tweaks to the formula and the introduction of bright red, blue, and yellow colors, the rebranded product was launched as Play-Doh. It was first sold to Cincinnati schools in single-gallon cans; three-packs of smaller jars were introduced for retail sale in 1956. It was a smash hit: By 1958, the company, which just four years prior was barely cracking $100,000 in annual sales, was raking in nearly $3 million yearly. In the mid-2010s, it was estimated that more than 3 billion cans of the stuff had been sold around the world since its debut as a toy.

Listerine

Listerine’s minty burn wasn’t always meant to freshen breath. When the product was created in 1879 by surgeon Joseph Lawrence in St. Louis, Missouri, it was intended as a surgical antiseptic. Its name was even an homage to British surgeon Joseph Lister, who pioneered sterile surgery in the 1860s. 

In the 1880s, Lawrence was working with pharmacist Jordan Wheat Lambert to sell the product. Doctors sang its praises, claiming it effective against everything from ulcers to gonorrhea. By the 1890s, Listerine was officially being marketed for uses beyond the doctor’s office, primarily to dentists as a “perfect tooth and mouth wash,” as advertisements of the time touted. 

Throughout the ensuing years, Listerine’s uses varied. At different times it was marketed as a floor cleaner, a cure for dandruff, and even an elixir for sore throats, coughs, and colds — it was only in 1975 that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered the company to stop falsely claiming that health purpose. 

Its most lucrative market, however, was established in the 1920s, when the Warner-Lambert pharmaceutical company began advertising Listerine to treat “halitosis,” aka bad breath. Listerine’s ads painted this fairly minor affliction as a troublesome medical condition for which they had the cure. The campaign was so successful that not only did Listerine emerge and remain best known as a mouthwash, but the phrase “halitosis appeal” became standard marketing speak to refer to the use of fear to sell a product.

Treadmills

We know treadmills as a modern fitness staple that, depending who you ask, are more pain than pleasure. This is somewhat fitting, given the exercise tool’s punishing origins. In the early 19th century, British engineer William Cubitt designed the first treadmill as a form of prison labor. Inmates, often in groups, were forced to walk on large rotating wheels for upward of eight hours a day. The wheel power was typically used to grind grain or pump water, supposedly making it a productive means of punishment designed to rehabilitate prisoners.

By the early 20th century, treadmills had been abandoned in prisons. But as heart disease started to skyrocket in the U.S., doctors began rethinking the machine, first as a testing tool for cardiovascular performance. 

American doctor of medicine Kenneth Cooper used treadmills in the 1960s to test endurance in pilots, and in 1968, his book Aerobics promoted running as a way to prevent heart disease. The work inspired New Jersey engineer William Staub, who built his own treadmill — a simple, compact motorized machine — and in the 1970s, his PaceMaster treadmill brought indoor running to the masses.

Rogaine

Rogaine has long been a popular hair loss treatment, but that use was discovered as a happy side effect of another drug. Its evolution began in the 1950s, when chemists at the Upjohn pharmaceutical company — also responsible for developing Xanax and Motrin before being acquired by Pfizer — developed a drug called minoxidil to treat ulcers, which was later found to lower blood pressure. In the 1970s, the FDA approved minoxidil as an oral blood pressure medication, and patients who took the drug began noticing increased hair growth as well.

As the unexpected side effect became more widely known, Upjohn acted before competitors could, refining minoxidil into a topical solution. In 1988, the FDA approved the newly named Rogaine as a prescription first for men and eventually for women (three years later). In 1996, Rogaine became available over the counter. 

When it was initially released, there was some skepticism about whether the product could live up to the hype  — it wasn’t a miracle cure for hair loss, after all. Upjohn focused on marketing directly to consumers instead of doctors, namely with aggressive television and magazine campaigns. As a result, sales grew from around $67 million in 1989 to $140 million in 1990. As of 2020, an estimated 2.87 million Americans counted themselves as Rogaine customers.

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The beloved HBO series The White Lotus has gathered a devoted following, sparking a cultural buzz reminiscent of the days of “water cooler” discussions about the latest must-see TV. Each season explores the lives of guests and employees at the eponymous fictional chain of luxury resorts, ultimately revealing dark truths about these idyllic locales and the lives of the people they attract.

The show’s third season took place in Thailand, and its finale aired on April 6, 2025, resulting in mixed feedback among fans. But no matter your thoughts on the overall narrative, you may be left with one question in particular (warning: spoilers ahead!): Is the poisonous fruit from the show real, and if so, is it actually deadly? 

Let’s take a look at the fruit known throughout Southeast Asia as pong pong, which played a key role in the recent White Lotus finale.

What Is Pong Pong?

In the last episode of season 3, “Amor Fati,” the character Lochlan (portrayed by Sam Nivola) nearly dies after inadvertently consuming seeds from the poisonous pong pong fruit. The seeds had been left in a blender by his father, Timothy (Jason Isaacs), who considered offing his whole family before getting cold feet. But Timothy didn’t think to clean out the remnants of the blender before Lochlan made a protein shake the next morning, resulting in a nearly fatal accident. These events were not entirely the stuff of fiction: The pong pong fruit is indeed very real, and potentially lethal if eaten.

The pong pong tree is native to Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, as well as India, various Pacific Islands, and the state of Queensland in northeastern Australia. The plant is biologically classified as Cerbera odollam and, as mentioned in the show, is sometimes referred to by the morbid moniker the “suicide tree.”

Pong pong trees typically grow to nearly 40 feet tall, naturally occurring in forests and on Pacific shorelines. They’re also popular pieces of ornamental vegetation, providing shade and flowers that produce a pleasant jasmine-like scent. Those flowers also help to easily identify a pong pong tree, as the blooms each have five small, white petals with a yellow hole in the center.

But in addition to these delightful florals, pong pong trees are also the source of the notorious fruit in question. Visually, an immature pong pong fruit looks much like an unripened mango, with a greenish color and a slightly oblong rounded shape. As the fruit ripens, it develops a brownish-black color, ultimately turning reddish-purple when it matures. But it’s not the rind you have to worry about — it’s what’s inside.

What Makes the Fruit Deadly?

If you stumble upon a pong pong fruit in the wild, there’s no risk in touching or smelling the exterior. The danger is contained within the fruit’s seeds, which contain a toxin called cerberin that may prove fatal in as little as four hours after being consumed. Cerberin is known to disrupt cardiac activity, including slowly the heart rate and potentially leading to cardiac failure.

Matthew Badgett, a doctor of internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, warned of these risks in an interview with Everyday Health, saying, “One seed from the pong pong fruit can be fatal, and half seeds have been shown to make people very sick and cause abnormal heart rhythms … it’s likely that two seeds or one whole fruit (including seeds) could very likely kill a person.”

Was White Lotus’ Portrayal Realistic?

Despite the show’s heightened drama, The White Lotus accurately portrayed what it would be like to consume pong pong seeds — for the most part. The seeds have a bitter taste and may be mixed into beverages to cover their acrid flavor, so Lochlan’s smoothie could feasibly have masked the taste of the seeds. And Joshua King, the medical director at the Maryland Poison Center, noted in an interview with TIME that vomiting, as Lochan did shortly after ingestion, is a common reaction to consuming the toxin.

Another thing the show got right was that Lochlan wouldn’t have necessarily died after consuming the seeds. Eating trace amounts isn’t always fatal, but it can induce sickness. Also, people react quite differently to the same amount of toxin depending on body mass: A half seed may be enough to kill a smaller person, while that same amount may only induce serious illness in someone larger. That being said, it is unlikely that Lochlan would have been unscathed without any medical intervention.

The most unrealistic aspect of the White Lotus portrayal was how quickly Lochlan’s symptoms set in. Experts say it would likely take at least an hour for symptoms to show after consuming the toxin, and in some instances, symptoms don’t appear for as many as 15 hours.

If someone does consume the toxic pong pong fruit, it’s imperative they seek medical help immediately. While the poison can’t be removed from the blood system, certain medications can counteract its effects, such as atropine, an antidote often used for cardiac resuscitation after poisonings. Interestingly, atropine is also a plant-derived poison, but it increases heart rate, counteracting the slowed heart rate associated with cerberin. So maybe take some with you on your next visit to the notorious White Lotus resort.

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We’ve all been there: You walk into Walmart, Target, Costco, or BJ’s with a short list of essentials — maybe you need a greeting card, some dog food, and a pack of socks for your teenager. But by the time you reach the checkout, your cart seems to have magically filled itself with extra snacks, home decor, and that cool kitchen gadget you didn’t know existed but are now convinced you need. 

Big-box and department stores are specifically designed to make us spend more than we intend. Retailers use a variety of clever strategies to encourage impulse purchases, extend our shopping time, and make sure we leave with more — much more — than just the necessities. While these tactics may seem subtle, they’re highly effective at boosting sales and emptying wallets.

Here are five of the most common methods stores use to get you to spend more money than you otherwise might.

They’re Strategic About Store Layout

Retailers don’t just randomly throw products on shelves — each section of a store is carefully planned to maximize spending. In big-box stores, essential items including dairy, bread, and meats are often placed at the farthest corners of the store, requiring customers to walk past dozens of enticing displays before reaching what they actually came for. Along the way, you may spot a tempting seasonal sale, a colorful endcap filled with limited-time snacks, or an eye-catching electronics display.

Additionally, store layouts are designed to keep you inside for as long as possible. Many retailers use the “decompression zone” — the first few feet inside the entrance — to transition shoppers into the store, making them more receptive to impulse purchases. This area is typically open and uncluttered and contains minimal signage to prevent sensory overload, preventing consumers from being immediately overwhelmed and lulling them into the optimal relaxed state of mind for shopping.

Wide aisles, bright lighting, and carefully placed promotional displays are all part of the plan to slow shoppers down, increasing the likelihood of adding extra items to their carts. Some big-box stores even place high-demand items such as batteries or phone chargers in less obvious spots so customers must search harder for them, passing even more tempting merchandise along the way.

They Play Psychological Games With Pricing

Pricing strategies influence how we perceive value. One of the most common tricks is charm pricing, also known as psychological pricing — in other words, setting prices just below a round number. For example, a product priced at $9.99 instead of $10.00 seems cheaper in our minds, even though the difference is just a penny. This is due to the left-digit bias, the phenomenon in which our brains tend to focus primarily on the first number we see, because we read left to right.

Some stores also use something called “prestige pricing,” wherein higher prices make products seem more luxurious or desirable. Think about how high-end brands rarely end their prices in .99 — designer handbags and perfumes are often priced at round numbers such as $100 or $250, reinforcing their premium appeal.

They Create an Atmosphere That Keeps You Browsing

Big-box and department stores carefully craft their atmosphere to encourage shoppers to linger, which often means spending more money. Slow, relaxing music subtly influences customers to move at a leisurely pace, increasing the likelihood of impulse purchases. Strategic lighting enhances the appeal of merchandise, with warm, inviting tones making products appear more desirable, while spotlights draw attention to high-margin items including premium electronics, designer handbags, or seasonal must-haves.

Even scents come into play — some department stores use signature fragrances to create a sense of luxury, while big-box retailers might pump out the smell of fresh coffee or popcorn near their cafés to further tempt shoppers and make them feel more at home. Plush seating areas, stylish displays, and open layouts make browsing feel more like an experience than just a shopping trip. And the longer you stay, the more you’re likely to buy.

They Use Loyalty Programs To Make Us Feel Special

Loyalty programs may seem like just an easy way to save money, but they’re primarily designed to encourage repeat spending. Whether it’s a rewards credit card, a points system, or member-exclusive discounts, these programs create a sense of obligation and incentive to shop more frequently. In fact, research indicates members of loyalty programs generate 12% to 18% more revenue per year than non-members.

For example, Costco’s membership model makes customers feel invested in getting the most value out of their annual fee, leading them to shop there more often. Similarly, Target’s Circle program offers personalized deals based on shopping history, subtly encouraging customers to return for what feels like tailor-made discounts. These programs often increase spending by offering “rewards” that require additional purchases to redeem — and in doing so, you usually spend more money redeeming those rewards than you end up actually saving.

They Influence Us With Product Placement and Bundling

You may have noticed how expensive name-brand products are placed at eye level while cheaper alternatives are stocked on lower or higher shelves. That’s no accident; that’s product placement in action. Retailers strategically reserve prime shelf space for high-margin items, ensuring they catch customers’ attention first. Similarly, impulse-buy products including candy, magazines, small gadgets, and gift cards are positioned near checkout lanes, where shoppers are more likely to grab them while waiting in line.

Bundling is another sneaky tactic designed to increase spending. Department stores may display complementary items close to one another — e.g.,  handbags next to shoes or skincare products alongside makeup — to subtly encourage customers to buy more than they originally planned. Electronics departments modify this approach by bundling accessories with major purchases, making it seem logical to add an extra charger, case, battery, or warranty. These strategies work by creating convenience and perceived value, nudging shoppers toward higher spending.