In 1879, Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist at Johns Hopkins University, made an astonishing discovery. He was conducting experiments with coal tar when he forgot to wash his hands.
When he started eating lunch, he noticed something odd. His fingers tasted sweet.
Fahlberg’s discovery was the start of a century-long pursuit to create alternatives to sugar.
Learn more about artificial sweeteners, how they were developed, and how they work on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
