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Samuel Lynch

English Comp II

Prof. Freeland

21 March 2021

Literary Review

I’ve chosen to research military technologies and how they have impacted civilian life. I

find this idea fascinating, that some technologies meant to wage wars, now sit around our houses

as everyday objects. Many of these technologies have had a larger impact on our lives than we

realize. I’d like to answer the question: What recent military technology has had the largest

impact on our lives and how?

This topic is relevant throughout history, but its largest presence can be found on the tail

end of WW2. So many technological advances were made during the war, like nuclear power

and radar, and many of them had yet to be introduced to the public. With the end of the war came

many new technologies that benefited civilians. The history of this question of what technologies

could help civilian life has been asked by many governments around the world looking for new

commercial uses for technologies that had cost both money and human lives during the war.

Throughout all the sources, a few things remain consistent, the most major of which is

the impact of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy, originally made in the form of the nuclear bombs

tested then dropped on Japan. After the war, this technology was adapted as a clean form of

power for many. Nearly all of the sources I found cited nuclear power as one of the most

impactful military technologies in history. This profound statement backed up by the World

Nuclear Association “In the process [of development], over 17,000 reactor-years of operation
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have been accumulated in providing a significant proportion of the world’s electricity”(World

Nuclear Association 2020).

Some sources point out the key importance of some of the more monotonous products

like duct tape, microwave ovens, and GPS. These items, although commonplace and often boring

to us today were some pivotal advances made by the military. Duct tape provided a “miracle

“fix-all” tape in 1942 to seal ammunition cases” (Manley 2018). Brendan Manley’s article for

Military History magazine provides a quick insight into some of the lesser-known military

technologies and is a recent article, but it feels that it is lacking in some aspects. Another

example of this is microwave ovens. The technology for microwave ovens was discovered by

accident wherein a radar researcher found that the microwaves produced a large amount of heat

quickly (Manley 2018). Overall, many of these mundane technologies had a larger impact on our

civilian lives than we give them credit for. We owe many advancements in travel, both by plane

and car, to military research and development that was later used to improve the cars and planes

we use every day.

Sources I found like the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Army

Office Of Medical History were instrumental in finding reliable information regarding medical

advances that the military had a hand in. These two sources are regularly updated and maintained

by the government. Another reliable government source I’ve found and utilized is NASA. Their

website proved imperative in collecting information for my research of the GPS. These three

sources are all reliable because they have been updated recently, there is little to no bias and they

are maintained by government agencies.

The Emergency Medicine Residents' Association’s website, specifically their page on the

history of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Their website is well informed and includes its
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sources. It does not ask for donations or has very many ads. It is written in a neutral tone without

much bias as it is not an argument. Other resources I used like allbloodcancers.org, a website of

the Leukemia Research Foundation. This website provides accurate and unbias results. Although

this website asks for donations, it is clear to see that the donations would go to benefit

researching cancer.

The sources I used for more mechanical research included the US Navy, Boeing, the

National Academy of Engineering, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UK History

Learning Site, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and the World Nuclear

Association. All of these sources are scholarly and reputable. Each is up to date and written with

the intent of informing the reader. The only exception to this is the sales catalog I used from

Boeing. The information within may be biased as its purpose is to sell planes, but they are

required to give accurate information to the buyer regarding their planes. Since the information

comes directly from the company and not a third-party source, I would consider it reliable. The

US Navy source I used is a study paper for an Ap test, but all of the information comes directly

from the US Navy which can be considered a reputable source. Most of these sources are owned

by some form of a government agency or international initiative like the World Nuclear

Association. Sources like these are well informed and reliable,

Other historical sources I used were History Net, World History Encyclopedia, the

Univerity of Washington, and Military History Magazine. These sources go into great detail

regarding each of their respective topics. Although not government websites, they can all be

considered scholarly and reliable. All of them are up to date. History Net and Military History

Magazine may be considered unreliable due to the fact they could contain some strong biases

and are not from respectable schools, universities, governments, or agencies. But these two
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sources do a great job of maintaining neutrality as well as providing sources for all of their

information and clear evidence of a deep understanding of every topic.

The last two sources, History of Coffee, and the Timeline documentary, “The Bizarre

Origins Of Radar Technology” could be argued to be unreliable for many reasons. The History of

Coffee Does not look like a reliable source and I would agree, however, their website is up to

date and contains few ads. It also does not ask for donations. It does not have any listed sources,

therefore I would not consider it the best source, but it was the best of few available options. The

Timeline documentary does a much better job of providing its sources. Timeline is also a

well-respected source of documentaries. The documentary has all of its sources listed either

during the scene it concerns or addressed in the credits. Timeline is a news outlet, but most of

their works seem well informed and without bias. Their site is up to date and does not require a

subscription or donation. All of the sources I have covered should be deemed reputable and

scholarly. Each one has some flaws but no source. They all meet the requirements to be

considered a scholarly source

Some common misconceptions surrounding military technology are that civilians have

access to military-grade technologies, military technologies are dangerous, and that development

of civilian technology based on military research has largely stopped. Although we as civilians

do have access to technologies designed by and for the military, they come in the form of

“Consumer-grade products.” These products are not usually as durable or long-lasting as their

military counterparts, but this also means that they are significantly less expensive. Many

military technologies are developed with the internet to do harm to others, but there are also

many that are intended to help others. Just because it was developed for the military does not
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mean that it is dangerous for civilians to use, with the exception of weapons like guns and

explosives.
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Works Cited

Belman, Laurel. “Buzz... Swat: Mosquito Repellents.” Lemelson Center for the Study of

Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 29 Oct.

2015,

https://invention.si.edu/buzz-swat-mosquito-repellents#:~:text=The%20real%20breakthro

ugh%20in%20repellent,from%20the%20invention%20of%20DEET.&text=Inventor%20

Samuel%20Gertler%20of%20the,the%20general%20public%20until%201957.

“Blood Transfusion.” National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services,

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/blood-transfusion#:~:text=Blood%20transfusions%20re

place%20blood%20that,such%20as%20hemophilia%2C%20or%20cancer.

Bucher, Joshua, and Hashim Q Zaidi. “A Brief History of Emergency Medical Services in the

United States.” EMRA, ERMA, www.emra.org/about-emra/history/ems-history/.

Cartwright, Mark. “Roman Roads.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History

Encyclopedia, 25 Mar. 2021, www.ancient.eu/article/758/roman-roads/.

Clarke, Michael A. “The Evolution of Military Aviation.” National Academy of Engineering,

National Academy of Engineering, 1 Mar. 2004,

www.nae.edu/7474/TheEvolutionofMilitaryAviation.

Conniff, Richard. “Penicillin: Wonder Drug of World War II.” HistoryNet, HistoryNet, 13 July

2020, www.historynet.com/penicillin-wonder-drug-world-war-ii.htm.
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Dunbar, Brian. “Global Positioning System History.” NASA, NASA, 5 May 2015,

www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/communications/policy/GPS_History.html.

“Introducing The 747ER and 747.” Boeing.com, Boeing, Jan. 2003,

www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_21/747ER.pdf.

Kindig, Jessie. “Northwest Antiwar History: Ch 5.” Antiwar History: 1970s/80s, University of

Washington, depts.washington.edu/antiwar/pnwhistory_nukes.shtml.

Office of Medical History, 18 June 2009,

history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/blood/chapter1.htm.

“Origin and History of Instant Coffee.” History of Instant Coffee - The First Instant Coffee,

www.historyofcoffee.net/coffee-history/instant-coffee-history/.

“Statistics on Leukemia and Other Blood Cancers.” All Blood Cancers, Leukemia Research

Foundation,

allbloodcancers.org/statistics/#:~:text=Blood%20cancers%20account%20for%20approxi

mately,from%20blood%20cancer%20this%20year.&text=Leukemia%20is%20diagnosed

%2010%20times,diagnosed%20with%20leukemia%20this%20year.

“The World of Air Transport in 2018 .” The World of Air Transport in 2018, International Civil

Aviation Organization, 2018,

www.icao.int/annual-report-2018/Pages/the-world-of-air-transport-in-2018.aspx.

Trueman, C N. “The Jet Engine.” History Learning Site, UK History Learning Site, 17 Mar.

2015,
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www.historylearningsite.co.uk/inventions-and-discoveries-of-the-twentieth-century/the-jet-

engine/.

“History Of Nuclear Energy.” History of Nuclear Energy - World Nuclear Association, Nov.

2020,

www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/outline-history

-of-nuclear-energy.aspx.

“The Bizarre Origins Of Radar Technology | Secrets Of War | Timeline.” Youtube, Timeline, 30

Aug. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JmaMlkiBoA.

Manley, Brendan. “Drawing Board.” Military History, vol. 35, no. 4, Nov. 2018, p. 12.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=131390087&site=eds-live.

“Naval History Stem-H Lesson Plan.” US Navy Museum, US Navy,

usnavymuseum.org/pdf/Activity_11-2.pdf.