I was reading about accidental inventions when I came across the story for artificial sweeteners. Here it is:
Saccharin, the oldest artificial sweetener, was accidentally discovered in 1879 by researcher Constantine Fahlberg, who was working at Johns Hopkins University in the laboratory of professor Ira Remsen. Fahlberg's discovery came after he forgot to wash his hands before lunch. He had spilled a chemical on his hands and it, in turn, caused the bread he ate to taste unusually sweet. In 1880, the two scientists jointly published the discovery, but in 1884, Fahlberg obtained a patent and began mass-producing saccharin without Remsen. The use of saccharin did not become widespread until sugar was rationed during World War I, and its popularity increased during the 1960s and 1970s with the manufacture of Sweet'N Low and diet soft drinks.
I thought this was interesting, and wondered at the possibility of the Romanovs using it?
It also leads me to wondering about other things we take to be modern. What seemingly-modern items could the Romanovs have used? For example, cellophane was invented before 1912, and in that year began being mass produced. So, post your suggestions here!
(This is ONLY for fun, and DOESN'T suggest [unless someone comes up with proof for any of it via sources] that the Romanovs actually used/had any of the items mentioned in this topic.)
