Entrepreneurship as Innovation and Problem Solving — Entrepreneurship STD 11 Commerce — Question

Given below are some innovations that led to successful ventures: Penicillin: Inventor Sir Alexander Fleming, a scientist. What he was trying to make: Ironically, Fleming was searching for a 'wonder drug' that could cure diseases. However, it wasn't until Fleming threw away his experiments that he found what he was looking for. How it was created: Fleming noticed that a contaminated Petri dish, he had discarded, contained a mould that was dissolving all the bacteria around it. When he grew the mould by itself, he learned that it contained a powerful antibiotic, penicillin. Potato Chips: Inventor George Crum, a chef at the Carey Moon Lake House in Saratoga Springs. What he was trying to make: A plate of fried potato. How it was created: One day, a customer sent back his plate of potatoes many times and kept asking for them to be more fried and thinner. Crum lost his temper, sliced the potatoes insanely thin and fried them, until they were hard as a rock. To the chef's surprise, the customer loved them and wanted more and this is how potato chips came into existence. The Pacemaker:

• Inventor: John Hopps, an electrical engineer.
• What he was trying to make: Hopps was conducting research on hypothermia and was trying to use radio frequency heating to restore body temperature.
• How it was created: During his experiment, he realised that if a heart stopped beating due to cooling, it could be started again by artificial stimulation. This realisation led to the invention of pacemaker.

Microwave Ovens:

• Inventor: Percy Spencer, an engineer (with Raytheon Corporation).
• What he was trying to make: The engineer was conducting a radar-related research project with a new vacuum tube.
• How it was created: Spencer realised that the candy bar in his pocket began to melt during his experiment. He then put popcorn into the machine and when it started to pop, he knew he had a revolutionary device on his hands.

Inkjet Printers:

• Inventor: A Canon engineer.
• How it was created: After resting his hot iron on his pen by accident, ink was ejected from the pens point a few moments later. This principle led to the creation of the inkjet printers.