Brilio.net/en - Needless to say, war is terrible. Even if it's stated purpose is to protect the citizens of a country, wars always leave in their wake tragic and brutal death, families torn apart, homelessness and orphaned children. There may be a sliver of light from all the darkness as wars can sometimes allow the creative to get inventive and make do with what little they have.
Most innovative inventions are driven by necessity, especially during wartime. As featured on ViralNova, these items (some of which you use daily) were created in those contemplative moments between air raids. Can you guess some of them?
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1. Tabasco sauce
Image via shopify
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A necessity in modern food for millions, this instant taste enhancer was actually founded during the United States-Mexican war in the 1850s. The story begins with a soldier who fave his banker friend Edmund Mcilhenny in New Orleans some delicious Capsicum hot peppers from Mexico in the 1850s during the US-Mexico war. Mcilhenny loved the peppers so much he planted them on his plantation at Aery Island just off the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Eventually, the family created Tabasco Sauce. It has since become so popular that it was even used in C-Ratios during WW1.
2. Individual tea bags
Image via viralnova
In 1908, a U.S. tea importer named Thomas Sullivan accidentally invented the modern teabag by sending samples of his loose leaf to customers in small silk pouches. This was a revolutionary concept for soldiers in the WW1 trenches as they could now brew individual cups of tea.
3. Sanitary napkins
Image via theheyheyhey
Originally, sanitary napkins were created after the invention of cellucotton, which is a pulp by-product of processed sugar cane. The absorbent yet disposable materials were used to bandage soldiers' wounds during World War I. At that time, nurses also used them for sanitary pads while stationed overseas. As a result, Kimberly-Clark began marketing Kotex disposable sanitary pads in 1920.
4. Twinkies
Image via tested
Twinkie is a favourite snack in the US which was invented in the 1930s. Originally, twinkies were made with a banana filling. During World War II, however, there was a sudden banana shortage and Hostess had to find an alternative. So they created Twinkies with vanilla cream filling, which were a hit and led to the modern Twinkie.
5. Canned foods
Image via huffingtonpost
In 1795, The Emperor Napoleon was worried about getting food to troops that were off fighting his war. So, he offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could find a way to safely preserve food. After 15 years of attempts, Nicolas Appert perfected the canning process. And thus, the modern household staple was invented.
6. Wrist watch
Image via deployant
Although the first wristwatches were created before World War I, soldiers made them popular by regularly used them during the wartime. Watches allowed officers to efficiently time their actions with others. Soon after the war, everyone in London was wearing a wrist watch.
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