12. Pacemaker
In 1956, while working on an oscillator to record heart sounds, engineer Wilson Greatbatch mistakenly installed a 1 MΩ resistor instead of the intended 10 KΩ resistor. This error caused the circuit to emit a steady electrical pulse, mimicking the rhythm of a heartbeat. Recognizing the potential, Greatbatch collaborated with Dr. William Chardack to develop the first implantable cardiac pacemaker. In 1960, they successfully implanted the device in a human patient, marking a significant advancement in medical technology (lemelson.mit.edu).
