There are many items that we use every day and that have been around for some time, but many of us don't know that was actually a military technology that has brought them into our lives. If you've been eyeing a cool pair of military binoculars, you shouldn't be surprised if they will turn out to be a common good in a few years.
If you've reattached a broken piece of ornament using a powerful adhesive or you've warmed up your meal in the microwave, it doesn't mean that you did anything out of the ordinary, but these things were available only for military men many years ago.
These were not created for civilians, but throughout time, they've made their way into our homes. So let's see what are some of the most popular military discoveries that we are currently using every day.
Satellite navigation
This one is a fairly known one, given that GPS satellites have been used for the first time around the 1970s when the United State's Defence Department wanted to be able to make sure that missiles and other similar weapons reached exactly the right target.
Today they are part of our lives and we use GPS every day, whether it's in our cars or on our smartphones, trying to figure out if it's going to rain in our area. Until the 2000s, the satellite signals were only selectively available, which means that certain territories (especially hostile ones) could not access them.
It was the US President Bill Clinton who discontinued this selective availability, which meant that everyone could use the system to get directions. Of course, throughout time, the system has continued to develop, with Russia using the GLONASS satellites since 1995 and Europe's Galileo system going live in 2016.
The microwave oven
We all know how convenient a microwave oven is, especially when you get home, you are hungry, and all you want to do is heat up your dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening with a good book or movie. However, many of us might not be aware that this device was actually invented by mistake.
It was in 1945, during World War Two, when an American scientist figured out that the radar transmitters that the US' military used could deliver the necessary amount of heat to cook food. Two years later, the first ovens went into production and started being sold for household use sometime in the late 1960s.
Instant extra-strong adhesive
Everyone has fixed something around the house using some instant adhesive. These handy substances are very useful because there's little chance for the glued part to ever come off. Of course, the situation can easily get very very sticky, if the user doesn't pay attention. However, the great part about this adhesive is that it works for a wide range of surfaces.
Therefore, everyone uses it for a wide range of jobs around the house. What some of us might not be aware of is that instant superglue is another discovery that has happened by chance. Also a result of World War Two military advancements, this glue was obtained when scientists were actually trying to create a material that could be used for making transparent gunsights.
The result was definitely not the intended one, but they did obtain a new substance that stuck to pretty much anything it came in contact with. Given that the military didn't want to use the formula, it sold it in 1958 and this quickly became one of the strongest adhesives that were ever made. This is a great example of things you can create when trying to make something else entirely.
