18 Major Discoveries People Just Stumbled Into

You never know when you’re going to bumble into the find of the century.
18 Major Discoveries People Just Stumbled Into

Entire fields of study are dedicated to finding important, priceless discoveries. So it's got to be exasperating to a professional treasure finder with a degree in fancy valuableness finds out that some random nimrod bumbled into the discovery of the century. But that happens all the time, apparently.

For example:

A KID PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK LITERALLY STUMBLED OVER A STEGOMASTODON SKULL. CGRA Nine-year-old Jude Sparks tripped over the 1.2-million-year-old fossil
AN INCREDIBLY RARE CHESS PIECE WAS FOUND IN A DRAWER IN SCOTLAND. The medieval chess piece, one of the long-lost Lewis Chessmen, had been gathering du

The Great Pyramid

AN EGYPTIAN MAN DIGGING IN HIS YARD FOUND A SECRET PASSAGE TO THE GREAT PYRAMID. CRAG The man came across a corridor made of stone blocks while doing

Jackson Pollock

A CALIFORNIA WOMAN BOUGHT A JACKSON POLLOCK PAINTING FOR $5 AT A THRIFT STORE. A forensic art specialist helped determine that the painting Teri Horto

Ancient Egypt

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DIGGING A SEWER FOUND AN ANCIENT TEMPLE. CRAUA The workers were drilling a sewage drain in an Egyptian city when they unearthed a
A MICHIGAN FARMER TRYING TO INSTALL A WATER PIPE FOUND WOOLY MAMMOTH BONES. CRAGA James Bristle was mid-construction when his digger hit something har

Vincent van Gogh

A COUPLE RENOVATING THEIR HOUSE FOUND A CACHE OF VAN GOGH'S PAPERS STASHED UNDER GRAU THE FLOORBOARDS. UNION ASSURANCE OFFICE, A.D. I714, FIRE U L& No
A TURKISH MAN REMODELING HIS HOME FOUND AN UNDERGROUND CITY. CRA A man In the Cappadocia region knocked down a wall in his basement, only to discover
A CHINESE BOY LOOKING FOR A NUTCRACKER FOUND A DINOSAUR NEST. CRAGN Ten-year-old Zhang Yangzhe was wandering around near the Dong River trying to find
A COUPLE LOOKING FOR A HAWAIIAN SUNSET FOUND ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS ON THE BEACH. CRAG Lonnie Watson and Mark Louviere were in Honolulu when they stumble
A NEW YORK WOMAN FOUND A MILLION-DOLLAR PAINTING IN THE GARBAGE. CRA Elizabeth Gibson was out for a walk in Manhattan in 2003 when she spotted a brigh
A GERMAN STUDENT FOUND A 17TH-CENTURY PAINTING INSIDE A COUCH FROM A FLEA MARKET. GRA The student purchased the pull-out sofa for about $215. When she
A GALILEE GARDENER PULLING WEEDS FOUND A MEDIEVAL RING. CRACKED COM YUOOM Dekel Ben-Shitrit dug the ring out of the dirt and posted it on Facebook, wh

Charlotte Brontë

A WOMAN FOUND A LOCK OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S HAIR HIDDEN IN A RING. CRAUN Mupil 14:4 The woman says she found the ring in an attic in Wales, and that it
A BADGER DIGGING ITS DEN FOUND A BUNCH OF MEDIEVAL SLAVIC CHIEFTAINS. CRAGA TWo residents of Stolpe, Germany were on a walk when they spotted a bone t
AN ARGENTINIAN MAN OUT WALKING ON HIS FARM FOUND A 10,000-YEAR-OLD9 SHELL. GRAOI OCA Jose Antonio Nievas was out walking by a stream when he spotted a
AN AUSTRIAN MAN DIGGING IN THE DIRT FOUND A LITERAL TREASURE. CRAUN The man was trying to expand his backyard pond when he dug up more than 200 pieces
A GREEK FARMER PARKED HIS VEHICLE UNDER A TREE, AND IT ALMOST SANK INTO A HIDDEN TOMB. CRAUN He was able to back it out before it sank into the ground
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