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The Jeep is Invented
Without the invention of the Jeep, the Allies may not have won WWII. The jeep was an essential part of transporting soldiers, goods, and supplies through Allied regiments. It could carry weapons, or utilities such as medical kits and fire fighting pumps. It was extremely mobile and could travel over or through nearly any terrain so its invention was a great breakthrough for the U.S. and other Allied forces. -
Completion of Mount Rushmore
The completion of Mount Rushmore was one of the most significant events in U.S. history. It was very important to the culture at the time it was completed because during a time of war, it was a symbol of freedom in America. It was a great tribute to the tremendous work ethic and spirit of the American people. -
The Modern Day T-shirt is introduced
Before the 1940’s, the standard way to dress was by wearing a long sleeve shirt or suit, or a nice short sleeve shirt. It was not until the navy introduced the T-shirt during WWII that it became popular. They developed the lighter-weight cotton T-shirt that was much more comfortable and casual, and they would wear it anywhere. When people in the U.S. began to see this, the T-shirt began to advance with different colors and images on them and slowly became an acceptable form of casual clothing. -
First Computer Built
Although it is tough to say exactly when the first computer was built because a computer could be classified by many different things, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) built in 1942 is credited as the first ever computer. It was built at Iowa State University and was capable of electronic computation and binary arithmetic among other features. This computer was an incredible scientific breakthrough of the 40’s and led to the development of more useful computers. -
Ballpoint pens go on sale
Although this was not the invention of the ballpoint pen, this was the first time they had been put on the market. Gimbels Department Store in New York put an ad in the paper during October that said these “miraculous” pens would work for two years without needing to be refilled. When the store opened the next day, there was an unbelievable demand for the “new” pen and all 10,000 pens in Gimbels inventory were sold that day, at a whopping $12.50 a piece. Even though the pens did not work much be -
Microwave Oven Invented
The invention of the microwave oven was the result of perhaps the greatest accident of all time. It derived from the magnetron, an invention by Percy Spencer, which was a devise used during WWII in U.S. bomber planes as a radar to spot German U-boats. Shortly after the war, when Spencer was passing by a magnetron, he felt a strange sensation and after a few tests, he realized this device could cook food and he began the invention of the microwave oven. -
Slinky introduced
The history of the slinky all began from when an engineer on a Navy ship saw a torsion spring fall on the ground and begin to tumble the way slinkys do. He thought it was very interesting and after returning from the war, he got a loan for $500 dollars and started a company to produce the slinky that he had perfected when he got home. Although he didn’t know how it would sell, when it was first placed on the shelves, all 400 sold within the first 90 minutes and millions have been sold ever since -
Bikinis Introduced
The bikini was first introduced in Europe by Louis Reard at a very popular pool in Paris. The two-piece bikini still covered most of the skin, but just had a small portion of the stomach showing. When the bikini spread to America in 1946, the American people wanted a way to openly enjoy their first post-war summer. The answer to this was a much more revealing swimsuit that was instantly loved by women and especially men. -
“Big Bang” Theory formulated
Although people have been formulating theories for how the world has been formed for centuries, it was not until the late 1940’s that the “Big Bang Theory” came into existence. There was a great debate during the 40’s between the “Big Bang” theory where all matter just came to be, and the “Steady State” theory where matter developed over time. During a radio broadcast debate between the two opposing scientists, the founder of the “Steady State” theory mockingly said “Big Bang”, and ever since th -
Polaroid Cameras invented
When Edwin Land invented the first ever Polaroid camera, it all came from his 3 year old daughter asking why she had to wait to see her picture. This led to Land devising a system of one-step photography where the light was directed directly to the surface of the photo so it could be seen instantly. This new, advanced form of photography gave Americans a new way to capture special moments and memories of their life quickly and easily.
