Internet
The internet is a network of computers linked together across the world. With the internet, people can access information located anywhere at any time. The internet has had a profound, incalculable effect on entertainment, the economy, and politics. Originally created by the US military as a closed network of computers in the 1960s.
This first prototype was called the “Advanced Research Projects Agency Network.” This early network, in combination with the TCP/IP communications protocol, made the technical basis for the internet. However, it wasn’t until decades later that the service became truly global. Roughly speaking, the internet had only become commercialized in the US by the 1990s.
Frozen juice concentrate
Let’s lighten the mood from all the technical talk with a short interlude, and maybe a short snack. That’s because we’re about to discuss one of the most delicious and nutritious military inventions in history (no offense, French canned foods). Concentrated orange juice was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Florida Citrus Commission in 1945 as a way to provide soldiers with enough Vitamin C during World War II.
They were a bit late with the invention, though, and the juice never reached the troops overseas. Instead, the patent was made public, and Minute Maid started manufacturing orange juice according to this recipe in 1946. Today, orange juice is one of the most beloved fruit products in the country. It is said that the average US consumer drinks more than 30 pounds of orange juice every year.
WD-40
Here’s another household staple you may be surprised to see on this list! WD-40 is now found in homes across the world, but it was first utilized to protect the outside of the Atlas Missile from rust. As you well know, WD-40 has a thousand uses, as it has rust-prevention properties and works as a degreaser. To read more about the uses of WD-40,
WD-40 was developed by Rocket Chemical Co. in San Diego in 1953. Once the company found out that workers were using WD-40 at home, they started selling it in aerosol cans. The product first appeared in stores in 1958. Fun fact: The WD in the name itself stands for “water displacement,” and the 40 signifies the number of attempts it took the chemists to develop the formula.
Bug spray
When summer comes and you’re spraying yourself with insect repellant to survive in the garden, remember to thank the army. That’s because DEET, the active ingredient in a percentage of insect repellants, was created for use by military personnel.
Again, we’re taken to 1940 and World War II. US soldiers in the South Pacific were worried about mosquito bites that could potentially carry malaria. So the army partnered up with two scientists from the USDA: William Sullivan and Lyle Goodhue. The challenge was to produce an insecticide in a fine mist. A year later, in 1941, the first bug spray playfully called “bug bomb” by soldiers was already in production. These and other aerosol mist cans were later found to harm the atmosphere, but they have since been updated to be less harmful.
This was the last invention on our list. If you enjoyed reading about them, check out some of the related posts we linked earlier and share this post with other folks.
