DUCT TAPE (1942)
There is a truth behind any jest, and you have all
heard the saying that one can fix any problem
as long as you have duct tape. There cannot
be a household in the universe that has not at
one time or the other turned to this magical
roll of ugly, sticky grey tape to fix a problem.
Yet, duct tape first started out in military green
colours during World War II, when Johnson &
Johnson’s Revolite Permacell division
developed the multi-purpose
tape known for its ease of
use, durability and waterresistance. It was used to
seal containers and fix
windows and equipment
during the war. Post-war,
duct tape got its boost from
the construction industry.
Much of success in
business depends on
the ability to spot
arbitrage moments.
To see gaps where
others miss it, and
to come up with cost
effective ways
of servicing
that gap
for profit.
GPS (EST 1959)
If you have to lob bombs and missiles over long distances and into areas that
you cannot see, geographical accuracy becomes a kind of necessity. But first,
the US Navy and Air Force developed this system in order to be able to navigate
better. As satellite technology improved, and the triangulation of positions
anywhere around the globe became increasingly possible with more and better
satellite signals, the sophistication of these systems also improved. Today, you
can locate your Aunt Betty’s flat in Kempton Park’s old age home when you
combine your GPS and some of the modern mapping systems. And, it is also
possible for us to know where you are! Next big thing – tracking your teenage
kids through the GPS positioning of their cellphones. No more sneaking off to
parties pretending to be busy with homework at a sleepover.
MICROWAVES (1945)
Its use for food preparation was accidental. A
Raytheon employee, working on military contracts,
realised that the chocolate bar in his pocket
had melted. That opened up a new universe for
the magnetron, originally the result of research
conducted on radio transmission and radar
detection. The magnetron produced much smaller
radio waves, known as microwaves, and was small
and powerful enough to be used in airplanes. Its
detection capabilities helped solve the persistent
problem of accurately bombing towns. In 1954, the
first microwave oven came to market.
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