Inventions of World War II and the Holocaust
World War II was a great era for inventions. For humans, not so much. Many new technology advancements were made and new medicine and helpful items for the future.
Penicillin: Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. But it wasn't until 1939 that Howard Florey showed the full potential of the medicine. During the war is when the antibiotic gained its popularity. In 1943, the US War Production Board came up with the plan for the mass production of the antibiotic. By 1944, the US had produced 2.3 million of the doses.
Radar: In 1886, Heinrich Hertz discovered that radio waves could be reflected using solid objects which set in motion the discovery of the radar. It was mainly the British who had the technology to harness such waves. There were rumors that Germany was using these radio waves to create a "Death Ray". Nikola Tesla was the man who confirmed that a "Death Ray" was highly unlikely.
Jet Engine: Sir Frank Whittle had built the first jet engine in 1937 but at the time the British were not interested in the machine and the work on the engine progressed slowly. The Germans were the ones who were more interested in the progress of the machine. The Germans had produced the Arado Ar 234 which was the first jet propelled bomber plane. By the end of the war, propeller planes were no match for jet engines.
Nuclear Power: The potential power of the atom had been discovered before World War II. But it was during the war that people had discovered ways to harness its power. The US were the first ones to harness the power of the nuclear bomb and started the Manhattan Project. On August 6th, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and on August 9th a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. It was estimated that between 155,00 and 245,000 people were killed.
Penicillin: Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. But it wasn't until 1939 that Howard Florey showed the full potential of the medicine. During the war is when the antibiotic gained its popularity. In 1943, the US War Production Board came up with the plan for the mass production of the antibiotic. By 1944, the US had produced 2.3 million of the doses.
Radar: In 1886, Heinrich Hertz discovered that radio waves could be reflected using solid objects which set in motion the discovery of the radar. It was mainly the British who had the technology to harness such waves. There were rumors that Germany was using these radio waves to create a "Death Ray". Nikola Tesla was the man who confirmed that a "Death Ray" was highly unlikely.
Jet Engine: Sir Frank Whittle had built the first jet engine in 1937 but at the time the British were not interested in the machine and the work on the engine progressed slowly. The Germans were the ones who were more interested in the progress of the machine. The Germans had produced the Arado Ar 234 which was the first jet propelled bomber plane. By the end of the war, propeller planes were no match for jet engines.
Nuclear Power: The potential power of the atom had been discovered before World War II. But it was during the war that people had discovered ways to harness its power. The US were the first ones to harness the power of the nuclear bomb and started the Manhattan Project. On August 6th, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and on August 9th a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. It was estimated that between 155,00 and 245,000 people were killed.
Works Cited:
"Top 10 Technical Innovations of World War 2." Best Innovations of World War 2 (WW2, Radar, Radio, V2, Bletchley). N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2014. This site shows the top inventions during the World War 2 era. This list of inventions explains the origin of each invention and its uses.
"Top 10 Technical Innovations of World War 2." Best Innovations of World War 2 (WW2, Radar, Radio, V2, Bletchley). N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2014. This site shows the top inventions during the World War 2 era. This list of inventions explains the origin of each invention and its uses.