Groundbreaking innovations that arose after World War II

It is often said that wars trigger a wave of innovation — as the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. This is not necessarily the case. According to some studies, immediately after the outbreak of the war, there was a tendency for a significant decrease in inventive potential, followed by a noticeable surge, resulting in a relatively standard level of innovation overall. Creation out of necessity or even desperation certainly takes place, but prosperous, peaceful, and free societies tend to be just as inventive, if not more so.

However, during the Second World War, numerous technological innovations were introduced, particularly in areas with military applications. Here are some of the most important, successful, and long-lasting inventions that emerged after the war, from convenient tools used by millions of people to miraculous medicines that saved countless lives.

7 Innovations that emerged after world war II

1. Duct tape

In 1943, Vesta Stoudt, an Illinois resident with two sons who served in the U.S. Navy, was working at an ammunition factory when she noticed a problem with the boxes of ammunition she was packing. The boxes were sealed with paper tape with a tongue for opening, but this tongue could easily come off, and soldiers might have to open the boxes in life-threatening situations.

So, Stoudt came up with the idea of using waterproof fabric tape to seal the boxes—an idea she sent to none other than President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Impressed, the president sent her a letter to the Office of Military Production, which soon developed what we now know as duct tape. Not only was it easy to attach and detach ammunition boxes, but it also proved extremely convenient for quick repairs of military equipment, including vehicles and weapons.

2. Radar

The fundamental principle underlying modern radar (an acronym for “radio detection and ranging”) was first observed in 1886 by physicist Heinrich Hertz, who discovered that electromagnetic waves could be reflected from various objects. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. It was during World War II, however, that modern, practical radar was developed.

Britain had already established a chain of radar stations along its south and east coasts by the outbreak of the war, allowing for the detection of enemy aircraft at a range of 80 miles. The British then invented the cavity magnetron in 1940, paving the way for far more compact, powerful, and sensitive radar units (and, as it happens, microwave ovens).

3. Jet engines

British engineer and Royal Air Force officer Frank Whittle first put forward his vision of jet propulsion in 1928, for which he was roundly ridiculed. Despite this, in 1937, he successfully tested the first practical jet engine, albeit on the ground. Then, in August 1939, a month before the outbreak of war, the German Heinkel He 178 aircraft made the first-ever flight powered by a jet engine. The war stimulated the development of jet engines, and White received more funding than ever before.

In May 1941, a Gloster E.28/39 hi jet took to the air, reaching a top speed of 370 mph at 25,000 rpm, which was faster than any other conventional propeller-driven aircraft. Although neither the Heinkel He 178 nor the Gloster E.28/39 had ever flown combat missions during the war, the “jet age” had begun. The first jet aircraft used in the war were the Messerschmitt Me 262 and the Gloster Meteor, which started to be used in 1944.

4. Super glue

During World War II, Harry Cover was part of the Eastman Kodak team, which sought to develop a method for producing transparent plastic sights for Allied soldiers. In the course of his research, Cover accidentally created a new compound called cyanoacrylate. At that time, he and his team discovered that the new compound was incredibly durable but rugged to use, and they soon abandoned the substance.

Nine years later, in 1951, Cover returned to cyanoacrylates, and this time, he and his team discovered new possibilities in the field. The sticky adhesive does not require heat or pressure, and the grip is firm. The Cover was invented by accident using super glue.

5. Electronic Computers

It’s hard to say precisely when the first computer was invented. It can be argued that these were the abacus of the ancient world, and, of course, arguments can be made in favor of Charles Babbage and his mechanical computer of the early 19th century. But when it comes to programmable electronic computers, we can confidently trace their origins back to the Second World War. First, there was the Colossus, a massive set of computers developed by British programmers at Bletchley Park between 1943 and 1945.

In its first test, Colossus successfully decrypted the original encoded message so quickly that 10 improved machines were immediately ordered. Then came ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), developed by the United States and completed in 1945, which claims to be the first general-purpose programmable electronic digital computer. (It was designed specifically to calculate values for artillery range tables but had other uses.) Together, they marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern computing.

6. The Slinky

Not all inventions that appeared during the Second World War had military applications. In 1943, Richard James, a Navy mechanical engineer working at the William Cramp & Sons shipyards in Philadelphia, was developing springs to ensure the stability of sensitive shipboard equipment at sea. While working, he accidentally dropped a twisted spring from a shelf.

He watched in amazement as the spring seemed to move from end to end on the ground. That same day, he came home and told his wife, Betty James, about his idea for a new toy. They took out a $500 loan, became co-founders of James Industries, and in 1945, Slinky appeared on store shelves. By the end of the 20th century, about 250 million Slinks had been sold.

7. Mass-produced penicillin

Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, and it was later isolated and purified in the late 1930s. However, the production of penicillin in large quantities proved to be a significant challenge. In 1942, when a new antibiotic was first used to treat sepsis successfully, it consumed half of the available penicillin reserves in the United States.

During the war, the combined efforts of the United States and Great Britain led to scientists working around the clock to develop mass-production technologies. They were successful, and they managed to manufacture 2.3 million penicillin capsules in preparation for the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.