Yes, potato chips were a surprise invention, too.  In 1853, George Crum, a chef at a resort in Saratoga, New York, made French-fried Potatoes for a guest.  The guest disapproved of the fries and sent them back, asking that they be sliced a little thinner.  This happened twice, so the chef go a little miffed, so to get even,  he sliced the potatoes very thin and fried them so that the guest would not be able to eat them with a fork.  Well, it turned out that the guest was ecstatic about the crisp potatoes.  Other diners began requesting them and they soon appeared on the menu as Saratoga Chips.

In the 1920s, Herman Lay, a traveling salesman, began selling the chips from the trunk of his car.  Today, everyone’s heard of Lays Potato Chips.