--- product_id: 1693528 title: "Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be" price: "84.91 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1693528-mistakes-that-worked-40-familiar-inventions-and-how-they-came store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Engaging, colorful illustrations 40 iconic invention stories Perfect for ages 8-80 Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be **Price:** 84.91 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🚀 Turn mistakes into your next big breakthrough! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be - **How much does it cost?** 84.91 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1693528-mistakes-that-worked-40-familiar-inventions-and-how-they-came) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Fun for All Ages:** A captivating read that bridges generations, perfect for kids and professionals alike. - • **Boost Team Engagement:** Use the book’s interactive presentation format to spark lively discussions and innovation. - • **Learn from Real Mistakes:** Discover how famous inventions like Velcro and Post-it Notes were happy accidents. - • **Unlock Creativity at Work:** Transform dull meetings into inspiring team-building sessions with inventive storytelling. - • **Celebrate Innovation Culture:** Ideal for National Inventors Day or any day you want to champion creative thinking. ## Overview ‘Mistakes That Worked’ is a bestselling, highly rated book that reveals the surprising stories behind 40 familiar inventions born from errors. With vibrant illustrations and engaging narratives, it’s a perfect tool to inspire creativity and innovation across generations—from curious kids to forward-thinking professionals. ## Description Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be [Jones, Charlotte Foltz, O'Brien, John] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be Review: Fix Your Boring Staff Meetings! - As I think back over the years of my boring weekly staff meeting presentations, I should have (I could have) been much more creative. Thus…I’m urging you to do a cannonball into the deep end of the creativity pool—and inspire your team with a surprisingly fun book: “Mistakes That Worked: The World's Familiar Inventions and How They Came to Be.” If I were still a CEO, here’s how I would facilitate my next weekly staff meeting: STEP 1. Order three books and gift them to the three most creative team members. Assignment: Each person will pick one “mistake that worked” (an invention that documents how we can learn from mistake-making). Prepare a five-minute presentation on the mistake/invention—and then facilitate a five-minute “What can we learn from this?” Q&A. (Give a Starbucks gift card if they finish in 10 minutes or less.) STEP 2. Definitely…serve some fun food! Chapter 1, “Favorite Foods,” features a dozen “mistakes” that brought us these favorites: chocolate chip cookies, Coca-Cola, doughnut holes, fudge, ice cream cones, popsicles, potato chips, sandwiches, tea, and more! (Note: Here’s just one of dozens of fun factoids in the book: On Sept. 7, 1975, a church in Davenport, Iowa, landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating a 5,750-pound “iced lollipop on a stick.”) STEP 3. At future weekly staff meetings, assign one person to present the five-minute summary and facilitate the five-minute Q&A discussion. Extra credit if they include a “show-and-tell” of the actual “mistake/invention.” The book showcases several dozen memorable innovations: • THE FRISBEE. Did you know there is an annual competition for the United States Disc Golf Championship? • IVORY SOAP. Honest! The “soap that floats” was named by Harley Procter (as in Procter & Gamble) “while listening to a Bible reading at church one morning in 1879.” • PAPER TOWELS. This reminded me of the market segmentation discussion on Bounty Paper Towels in the brilliant book, “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works,” by A.G. Lafley (former CEO of P&G) and Roger L. Martin. • Many More! Team members can showcase their favorite piggy banks, Levi’s jeans, Slinky toys, and Silly Putty! The Big Idea for Life-long Learning: We’ll make mistakes—so let’s learn from them. Something good may pop out like VELCRO, Post-it Notes, or even seeing eye dogs or trouser cuffs! (Note: Plan something special on February 11—National Inventors Day.) If you live close to Washington, D.C., plan a team-building day at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Or visit the National Inventors Hall of Fame in North Canton, Ohio. LOL! According to the author, in 1875 the director of the U.S. Patent Office “quit his job and suggested that his department be closed. There was nothing left to invent, he insisted.” PICTURE THIS! The illustrations are really fun! The VELCRO mistake features a hilarious color drawing of a cowboy on a bucking horse—riding “hands-free” on a VELCRO saddle! Another story spotlights a wedding ceremony with the bride and groom (an Englishman is the trend-setter who “invented” trouser cuffs). The scene with the officiating clergyman: LOL! And...desertcart says this book is perfect for ages 8 to 11. (It's also perfect for ages 18 to 80!) AND BY THE WAY—speaking of popsicles and boring staff meetings—the Heath brothers urge you to create extraordinary moments on a team member’s first day on the job instead of the opposite: “Imagine if you treated a first date like a new employee.” That’s from “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. (I named it my 2017 book-of-the-year.) PLEASE TAKE THIS PLEDGE! Repeat after me: "No more boring weekly staff meetings!" Review: Inspiring inventions and mistakes - It is fun to learn how inventions and "mistakes" came into existence. Where would we be without potato chip?s ... It encourages kids of all ages to think "what if?". Who knows what it will inspire them to create. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 0385320434 | | Best Sellers Rank | #13,886 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #7 in Children's Books on Inventions & Inventors #12 in Children's Science Experiment Books #20 in Children's How Things Work Books (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (3,658) | | Dimensions | 8 x 0.29 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reissue | | Grade level | 3 - 7 | | ISBN-10 | 9780385320436 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0385320436 | | Item Weight | 8 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 96 pages | | Publication date | May 1, 1994 | | Publisher | Delacorte Press | | Reading age | 8 - 11 years, from customers | ## Images ![Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719jE9XImwL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fix Your Boring Staff Meetings! *by J***N on January 9, 2026* As I think back over the years of my boring weekly staff meeting presentations, I should have (I could have) been much more creative. Thus…I’m urging you to do a cannonball into the deep end of the creativity pool—and inspire your team with a surprisingly fun book: “Mistakes That Worked: The World's Familiar Inventions and How They Came to Be.” If I were still a CEO, here’s how I would facilitate my next weekly staff meeting: STEP 1. Order three books and gift them to the three most creative team members. Assignment: Each person will pick one “mistake that worked” (an invention that documents how we can learn from mistake-making). Prepare a five-minute presentation on the mistake/invention—and then facilitate a five-minute “What can we learn from this?” Q&A. (Give a Starbucks gift card if they finish in 10 minutes or less.) STEP 2. Definitely…serve some fun food! Chapter 1, “Favorite Foods,” features a dozen “mistakes” that brought us these favorites: chocolate chip cookies, Coca-Cola, doughnut holes, fudge, ice cream cones, popsicles, potato chips, sandwiches, tea, and more! (Note: Here’s just one of dozens of fun factoids in the book: On Sept. 7, 1975, a church in Davenport, Iowa, landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating a 5,750-pound “iced lollipop on a stick.”) STEP 3. At future weekly staff meetings, assign one person to present the five-minute summary and facilitate the five-minute Q&A discussion. Extra credit if they include a “show-and-tell” of the actual “mistake/invention.” The book showcases several dozen memorable innovations: • THE FRISBEE. Did you know there is an annual competition for the United States Disc Golf Championship? • IVORY SOAP. Honest! The “soap that floats” was named by Harley Procter (as in Procter & Gamble) “while listening to a Bible reading at church one morning in 1879.” • PAPER TOWELS. This reminded me of the market segmentation discussion on Bounty Paper Towels in the brilliant book, “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works,” by A.G. Lafley (former CEO of P&G) and Roger L. Martin. • Many More! Team members can showcase their favorite piggy banks, Levi’s jeans, Slinky toys, and Silly Putty! The Big Idea for Life-long Learning: We’ll make mistakes—so let’s learn from them. Something good may pop out like VELCRO, Post-it Notes, or even seeing eye dogs or trouser cuffs! (Note: Plan something special on February 11—National Inventors Day.) If you live close to Washington, D.C., plan a team-building day at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Or visit the National Inventors Hall of Fame in North Canton, Ohio. LOL! According to the author, in 1875 the director of the U.S. Patent Office “quit his job and suggested that his department be closed. There was nothing left to invent, he insisted.” PICTURE THIS! The illustrations are really fun! The VELCRO mistake features a hilarious color drawing of a cowboy on a bucking horse—riding “hands-free” on a VELCRO saddle! Another story spotlights a wedding ceremony with the bride and groom (an Englishman is the trend-setter who “invented” trouser cuffs). The scene with the officiating clergyman: LOL! And...Amazon says this book is perfect for ages 8 to 11. (It's also perfect for ages 18 to 80!) AND BY THE WAY—speaking of popsicles and boring staff meetings—the Heath brothers urge you to create extraordinary moments on a team member’s first day on the job instead of the opposite: “Imagine if you treated a first date like a new employee.” That’s from “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. (I named it my 2017 book-of-the-year.) PLEASE TAKE THIS PLEDGE! Repeat after me: "No more boring weekly staff meetings!" ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inspiring inventions and mistakes *by N***I on September 30, 2025* It is fun to learn how inventions and "mistakes" came into existence. Where would we be without potato chip?s ... It encourages kids of all ages to think "what if?". Who knows what it will inspire them to create. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great little book *by M***Y on December 29, 2025* 10-year-old grandson loved it. ## Frequently Bought Together - Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be - Captivating Stories for Curious Kids: Unbelievable Tales From History, Science and the Strange World We Live In - Difficult Riddles For Smart Kids: 300 Difficult Riddles And Brain Teasers Families Will Love (Thinking Books for Kids) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1693528-mistakes-that-worked-40-familiar-inventions-and-how-they-came](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1693528-mistakes-that-worked-40-familiar-inventions-and-how-they-came) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-07-18*