Sometimes, the U.S. government fails. Fortunately for us, these failures resulted in some strange, unusual, and even … helpful inventions. From the microwave to cargo pants, to GPS navigation, we have all of this and more thanks to the research of our country.
Take a look at how they advance life as we know it today with their ongoing efforts.
The microwave
How many days go by that you don’t heat something up in the loud kitchen box? Gaining popularity in the 70s, they are now commonplace in every household kitchen, dorm room and office break room. They are so popular that some locations even have multiple microwaves for the masses to employ. However, the original intent wasn’t for lunchtime leftovers, it was actually an attempt to monitor the skies. When scientists were working on electromagnetic waves for a scanner, Percy Spencer noticed his candy bar had melted. Curious about the revelation, he soon tested the concentrated energy on an egg, which subsequently blew up in his face, then on popcorn kernels.
With the revelation, microwave ovens as we know them today were invented and sold to the masses. Who knows where we would be today if Spencer hadn’t kept a treat in his pocket for safekeeping.
Cargo pants
For anyone who enjoys baggy pants AND the ability to carry lots of gear, cargo pants were the perfect military invention. This one is credited to the British, who made their battle uniform with extra pockets in the late 1930s. The original pants had just two storage pockets: one on the thigh for ammunition or a medical kit, and one on the hip for other gear. During WWII, the pants were replicated in the U.S., but this time, even more pockets were included. The idea was to make paratroopers’ lives easier, while still keeping essential gear like a map, compass, and radio, on them at all times. This called for bigger pockets to hold all the necessary items.
After the war, cargo pants were picked up by laborers, who recognized the perks of carrying items on their body. Then the pants became a fashion trend and underwent all types of style changes, including different colors and shapes.
Stainless steel
Though the scientific breakthroughs that led to stainless steel date back to 1798, the first U.S. patent wasn’t released until 1869, when chromium-containing steel was used for bridges by Chrome Steel Works out of Brooklyn. Soon after, the material was adjusted to be resistant of corrosion by adding tungsten. The latter was then patented by the British as “Weather-Resistant Alloys.”
Toward the end of the century, more research was done and several types of metals were created and patented in the U.S., Britain, and France. It was the need for rust-resistant gun barrels that eventually led to stainless steel as we know it today. A British metallurgist, Harry Brearley, found that adding chromium to iron would keep the barrels from rusting. Soon realizing this meant longer-lasting guns with less maintenance, the U.S. military also began using the material for its own military weapons.
Walkie-talkie
Prior to the small, handheld radios we know today, soldiers carried large backpack models that they used for communication. Seen as heavy, clunky, and inefficient, it was preferred to find a smaller form of communication. Initial models were called “packset” after hitting the market in 1937. (Prior to this, communication radios were not portable.) By the early 1940s, the packset inventor, Donald Hings, was hired for a secret research and development project, The “Handie-Talkie.” It was in use by the military by 1942. As technology advanced, the handheld radios were made smaller and more clear, while extending their communication range. THey are still used by the military today, as well as civilians.
Penicillin
Penicillin is a naturally occurring substance, but was isolated and discovered for its bacteria-killing properties in 1928. Research continued by its founder, Alexander Fleming, who continued to work on penicillin as a drug. However, during WWII, the U.S. took over and found a way to mass-produce and distribute the antibiotic. This was in large part due to war injuries, whether actual battle wounds, or widespread sickness from soldiers who were in close quarters with one another. The production stuck and penicillin was able to be prescribed to the masses even after the war had ended.