Some accidents have resulted in useful and practical inventions and others have advanced the food industry, but other mistakes have lead to inventions that are just really cool, even though they are not very useful at all. A great example is the invention of fireworks. As the legend goes, about 2,000 years ago in China, a cook accidentally mixed charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter together. These were all normal kitchen items at the time, but together they formed a mixture that burned and even exploded when compressed. This kicked off the development of fireworks, which became a huge element of Chinese culture to this day. Fireworks are now widely used in America for many holiday, including the fourth of July.