In 1942, during World War II, the American chemist Harry Coover was working for Eastman Kodak, developing a transparent plastic intended to replace glass in military sighting lenses. One of the compounds tested during this project was cyanoacrylate, a substance that proved unsuitable for the task due to its extreme adhesiveness. This property made it impossible to use for precision optical applications, and the compound was considered too sticky for the military project, leading to its initial dismissal. Nearly a decade later, in 1951, cyanoacrylate reappeared during a different research project at Eastman Kodak. At that time, Coover was leading a team developing heat-resistant polymers for jet airplane windows. During testing, an expensive optical instrument called a refractometer became irreversibly stuck to the compound. This incident revealed cyanoacrylate's powerful adhesive properties, which come from its ability to polymerize rapidly when it comes into contact with moisture, including the natural moisture on surfaces or skin. This discovery led to a change in perspective. What had been seen as a drawback for optical lenses turned out to be a valuable property for adhesives. However, the initial patent for cyanoacrylate was rejected by the patent office. It wasn't until 1958 that the adhesive was commercialized under the name Eastman 910, later renamed Super Glue. The product became widely used in households and was also employed during the Vietnam War as a hemostatic adhesive to help stabilize wounded soldiers. Coover continued his work at Eastman Kodak for forty years, publishing sixty scientific articles and filing over 460 patents. His contributions were recognized in 2010 with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, awarded by President Barack Obama. The story of cyanoacrylate highlights how some of the most useful inventions can arise from what was initially considered a failure, demonstrating the value of reevaluating scientific setbacks.