the.com/accident
the universe's reminder that you weren't actually in control of anything
means An unexpected and unintended event, often one that causes damage, injury, or harm.
from From Latin 'accidere,' to happen or befall — built from 'ad-' (to) and 'cadere' (to fall). So an accident is literally something that 'falls upon' you, unbidden. The same 'cadere' tumbles through 'cascade,' 'decay,' and 'cadence' — a whole family of things falling, one way or another. It reached English in the 14th century through Old French 'accident,' first meaning simply 'an occurrence,' before narrowing to the unlucky kind.
- penicillin
- discovered by a moldy, unwashed petri dish
- word origin
- Latin for what simply falls upon you
- play-doh
- started as a failed wallpaper cleaner
- leading cause
- top killer of people under 45
- the big bang
- arguably the original accidental success
titanic sinking — ship hit iceberg in 1912, killing 1,500 people in north atlantic
chernobyl disaster — nuclear reactor explosion in ukraine, 1986, worst nuclear accident in history
japan airlines 123 — boeing 747 crashed near mount fuji in 1985, deadliest aviation accident with 520 deaths
deepwater horizon — oil rig explosion in gulf of mexico, 2010, spilled 210 million gallons of crude oil