He Forgot to Wash His Hands — And Accidentally Discovered Saccharin, 300–500x Sweeter Than Sugar
⚗ THINGS DICTIONARY #8 · SACCHARIN He Forgot to Wash His Hands — And Discovered the World's First Artificial Sweetener ☕ TL;DR (AI Summary): In 1879, Russian-born chemist Constantin Fahlberg was working in Ira Remsen's laboratory at Johns Hopkins University when he skipped washing his hands before dinner — and accidentally discovered saccharin , the world's first artificial sweetener. It is 300–500 times sweeter than sugar with virtually zero calories. Behind the sweet discovery, however, lies a bitter story of betrayal between two scientists. 📌 This article is a history and science information post based on publicly accessible academic sources and encyclopedias. Fact-checked as of March 2026. 📋 Table of Contents Overview — A Sweet Discovery Born from Dirty Hands "Why Does This Bread Taste So Sweet?" The Chemist Who Ran Back to His La...