I was reading a great article (Science Education Review) about the chance discovery of Vaseline and thought I’d pass it along.

In 1859, and in a business that relied on obtaining sperm whale oil for use as a fuel, chemist Robert Chesebrough struck troubling times. Petroleum, a much cheaper fuel, was becoming widely available and demand for whale oil was declining significantly. Deciding to move with the times, he visited the oilfields of Pennsylvania, USA to seek new business opportunities. He observed that oil workers often stopped to remove a greasy, viscous substance called rod wax from the drilling equipment. However, on the positive side, the workers also said that this nuisance substance worked wonders on cuts and burns, soothing the pain and speeding the recovery process.

Chesebrough took a quantity of rod wax to his lab in Brooklyn, New York and, after much trial and error, turned it into an odourless, tasteless, colourless, translucent substance that he called Vaseline (also called petroleum jelly by others). He tested its healing power by cutting, stabbing, and burning his own skin, and then promoted it by travelling the country in a wagon, displaying his healed wounds as evidence for its properties and giving away free samples. Demand from the public soon saw Vaseline established as a staple in medicine cabinets and making Chesebrough a very wealthy man.

Vaseline provides an effective barrier to water, sealing a wound and preventing the entry of bacteria. It also seals in the skin’s moisture, preventing the skin from drying out. Vaseline has many uses, including making an excellent fire starter after being applied to cotton balls.

Isn’t that a great story?