9 Everyday Things Originally Invented for the Military

A surprising number of military inventions have found their ways into our civilian lives. Here are just a few military-turned-everyday items.

GPS

When you rely on the GPS app on your Android or iOS phone to keep yourself from getting lost, you’re using the same Global Positioning System satellites set up by the U.S. Department of Defense in the early 1990s. At President Bill Clinton’s behest, GPS became available to civilian users in 1996. It’s now maintained by the U.S. Space Force.

Freeze drying

You can thank the armed forces for the ubiquity of Dippin’ Dots. The technology that’s now used to make freeze-dried ice cream was developed during World War II as a way of preserving medical supplies that otherwise required refrigeration.

EpiPen

EpiPens, the auto-injecting syringes that allow you to give yourself a quick shot of epinephrine to stave off an allergic reaction, sprang from a similar device designed to protect soldiers from nerve agents and chemical weapons.

Cargo pants

British soldiers began sporting cargo pants in the 1930s because they offered a convenient way to carry vital military gear like ammunition. American troops adopted them just a few years later, and the general public began to wear them in the 1990s.

Duct tape

In 1942, duct tape was invented for the military as a way to seal ammunition cases so that water couldn’t get in. Soldiers during WWII quickly realized that it worked well for fixing gear, too.

Jerrycan

You know those canisters you use in order to get gasoline to put in your lawnmower? They were initially developed for the German military in the 1930s.

Jeep

The Jeep has come a long way since it was first manufactured for American troops to use on reconnaissance missions in WWII. Some new models of the world’s oldest SUV come equipped with leather-wrapped steering wheels and touchscreen media consoles.

Computer

ENIAC, the first electronic computer that was capable of being programmed to serve many different purposes, was designed for the U.S. military during WWII. The army paid for the computer to be built so they could use it in the Ballistic Research Laboratory.

Microwave

In 1945, an American scientist realized accidentally that the radar transmitters used by the U.S. Army throughout WWII actually released enough heat—in the form of “microwaves”—that they could cook food. This technology was used to construct the first microwave oven within the next two years.

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A version of this story was published in 2012; it has been updated for 2024.