12 Military Innovations That Became Everyday Essentials
Nov. 20, 2025 | By Katie Lange
Every day, people rely on technologies such as GPS, microwaves, wristwatches and sunglasses without realizing that many of these items were originally created for military use. Over the past century, the War Department developed numerous innovations for warfighters that eventually moved into civilian life. Below are 12 well-known examples.
1. The Wristwatch
Before World War I, men typically used pocket watches, while wristwatches were seen mainly as women’s accessories. However, as the U.S. joined the war, soldiers needed a faster way to tell time during coordinated battlefield operations.
The Army Signal Corps tested and purchased wristwatches, which quickly proved more practical for both soldiers and sailors. As a result, the public adopted the trend. By the late 1920s, wristwatches had largely replaced pocket watches.
2. The EpiPen
Although the EpiPen itself was not invented by the military, its core technology was. During the Vietnam War, the Army needed a quick way to treat troops exposed to chemical agents. This led to the development of the auto-injector, a spring-loaded device that delivers medication rapidly under the skin.
Doctors later filled these injectors with epinephrine to help civilians manage severe allergic reactions. The EpiPen received FDA approval in 1987, and many other medications now use similar devices.
3. Bug Spray (DEET)
During World War II, mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever severely affected U.S. troops in the Pacific. In response, the War Department and the Agriculture Department opened a joint research lab in Florida.
In 1946, scientists developed DEET, now the most widely used and effective mosquito repellent in the world. The public gained access to it in 1957.
4. Freeze-Dried Foods
Traditional dehydration reduced food quality and flavor, so military scientists looked for a better solution. In the 1950s, researchers at the Army’s Natick laboratories discovered that freeze-drying preserved food nutrients, structure and taste far more effectively.
By the mid-1960s, freeze-dried meals became common across the military. Today, they are widely sold for camping, emergency kits and store-bought snacks.
5. Aviator Sunglasses
Early aircraft pilots wore heavy, uncomfortable goggles. In the 1930s, Army Air Corps Col. John Macready partnered with industry experts to design lightweight sunglasses that protected pilots’ eyes from intense sunlight.
These glasses, later called aviators, gained popularity during World War II and soon became a fashion staple for civilians.
6. Radar
Navy engineers Albert Taylor and Leo Young discovered radar’s potential in 1922 when they noticed that a ship affected radio signals during testing.
By 1934, Taylor, Young and Lawrence Hyland secured a patent for “radio detecting and ranging”—radar. By 1938, the USS New York became the first ship equipped with the technology, which soon played a major role in World War II.
Today, radar supports weather forecasting, traffic monitoring, sports measurement and automated doors.
7. The Microwave Oven
After World War II, engineer Percy Spencer noticed that a radar magnetron melted a chocolate bar in his pocket. Curious, he tested popcorn and an egg, discovering that microwave energy could heat food rapidly.
The first commercial microwave oven arrived in 1947, but it became affordable for households only in the 1960s.
8. Duct Tape
During World War II, factory worker Vesta Stoudt proposed a stronger, water-resistant tape made from cotton duck cloth to seal ammunition boxes. Her supervisors supported the idea but failed to act, so she wrote directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The War Production Board approved the idea, and the tape became widely used by troops. After the war, civilians adopted it and renamed it duct tape due to its usefulness in repairing heating ducts.
9. Penicillin
Although British scientists discovered penicillin, the U.S. military recognized its value in saving wounded troops during World War II. The War Department helped scale production, coordinate research and ensure widespread distribution.
The antibiotic dramatically reduced deaths from infections and remains widely used today for a range of bacterial illnesses.
10. Sanitary Pads
Before World War I, women mainly used reusable cloth pads. However, wartime cotton shortages encouraged the development of Cellucotton, a more absorbent and inexpensive wood-pulp product.
Nurses in Europe soon used it as a sanitary napkin. After the war, manufacturers released it commercially in 1920, making it one of America’s most successful consumer products.
11. GPS
The War Department tasked the Air Force in 1973 with developing a more accurate navigation system for troops. This led to the launch of the first NAVSTAR GPS satellite in 1978.
Initially restricted to military use, GPS became available for civilians after 1983, following a tragic incident involving a misdirected airliner. The system became fully operational in the mid-1990s and now guides billions of users worldwide.
12. The Internet
The internet began in 1969 as ARPANET, a military project designed to connect universities, agencies and contractors without relying on a vulnerable central hub.
In 1973, ARPANET expanded to allies overseas. In 1991, researcher Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web, unlocking the modern internet.
These innovations paved the way for today’s global digital communication network.
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