Beneficial spin offs from First World War | Sunday Observer

Beneficial spin offs from First World War

21 August, 2022

Wars waged for various reasons do not bring good results for humans, animals and the environment. The results of a war may vary more or less depending on the time of the war, the parties involved, the technology used for it, but a war inevitably brings adverse results. However, did you know that the First World War, which brought the most adverse consequences to the world in the history of wars, led to several discoveries that make our daily lives easier today? This article is about some of the inventions that were made as a result of the First World War.

Blood banks

Before World War I, doctors rarely administered blood transfusions. However, after discovering that there are different blood types and that blood can be kept longer by freezing it, Captain Oswald Robertson, who worked as a doctor in the United States Army, consulted the British Army, and established the world’s first blood bank on the Western Front (Western Europe area), in 1917.

His aim was to create a system that could provide the blood that is needed to be given to soldiers who are injured in the war, and sodium citrate had been used to prevent the blood from clotting, which could be kept for about 28 days using ice cubes.

Sanitary napkins

In 1914, the executives of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation (a high-ranking American company that manufactures sanitary products) visited the European continent and discovered a type of fabric that could be made using wood pulp, which had five times the absorbency of cotton. It could be produced at low cost.

During World War I, the supply of cotton was at a low level, so the United States Army used the Kimberly-Clark’s new product as surgical dressings. The cotton substitute sold wholesale to the military was first used as sanitary napkins by Red Cross nurses tending to wounded soldiers. In 1920, Kimberly-Clark Corporation started producing sanitary napkins under the brand name ‘Kotex’.

Stainless steel

During World War I, the British Army focused on finding a stronger metal to make firearms that would minimise distortion caused by heat and friction during firing. As a result, Harry Brealy, an English expert on metals, discovered that by mixing chromium with molten iron, non-alloy metals can be produced. Although stainless steel was not originally used in the manufacture of firearms, it was widely used in aircraft parts, medical equipment, and hardware tools produced during World War I.

Zippers and wristwatches

In 1923, B.H. Goodrich Company gave the name ‘Zippers’ to Gideon Sundback’s invention of the ‘hookless fastener’ during World War I. During the war, buttons were widely used for military uniforms, and for the first time, the army used ‘zippers’ for naval uniforms. It is reported that zippers, which became popular in a short time due to their ease of use, were used to sew flyers’ uniforms by the 1920s, and were later widely used to produce luggage, shoes, and tents.

Pocket watches and time keepers were popular among everyone before World War I. But it was impractical to check pocket watches in the midst of war, so the need arose to develop a watch that could be easily used by military personnel and airmen.

As a result, wristwatches, which were originally used as fashion jewellery by women, were reinvented to suit men.

Paper towels

Using cotton substitutes, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation gave the world more than just sanitary napkins. In 1924, they introduced easily removable paper towels under the brand name ‘Kleenex’, a thinner product of the same cotton substitute used to produce sanitary napkins.

Later, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation introduced paper handkerchiefs, toilet paper and disposable diapers as its most advanced products.

Trench coats

Trench coats, which are popular among Westerners today, were first used by British soldiers who participated in World War I. Unlike the heavier coats that were popular with men in the 20th century, the modern style trench coat was made with waterproof and lightweight fabrics.

There is no doubt that the ‘trench coat’ was a very comfortable garment compared to the traditional woolen coat for the soldiers who had to stay hidden even in long trenches despite the rainy weather. Also, it is reported that ‘trench coats’ gained high popularity not only among military personnel, but also among civilians, as there were pockets where weapons (and other items) could be stored carefully.

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