World War I from 1914-1918 marked a profound shift in the nature of warfare, driven by a wave of new technologies and inventions. From terrifying new weapons to life-saving medical advances, the conflict served as a catalyst for innovation that would reshape the modern world. In this in-depth look, we‘ll explore 12 of the most significant inventions and innovations to emerge from the war.
1. The Tank
The first tanks were developed by the British Army as a means to break the stalemate of trench warfare. These armored vehicles could traverse difficult terrain and withstand machine gun fire. The first tank, "Little Willie," was tested in 1915. Its successor, "Big Willie" or the Mark I, first saw combat at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Over the course of the war, the British produced over 2,500 tanks of several different models. The French and Germans also developed their own tanks. While slow and unreliable at first, tanks soon became an indispensable asset, striking fear into enemy soldiers. They played a key role in the Allied victory in 1918.
2. Machine Guns
The machine gun was perhaps the most significant new weapon to emerge in WW1. Hiram Maxim had invented the first portable, fully automatic machine gun in 1884, but it was the war that saw it used on an unprecedented scale.
The Maxim gun could fire 500 rounds per minute, the equivalent of 100 rifles. Both the Allies and Central Powers employed machine guns extensively. The Germans introduced the fearsome MG08 in 1908, an adaptation of the Maxim gun capable of firing 400 rounds/min. The British relied heavily on the Vickers machine gun, while the Americans used the Browning M1917.
Machine guns were largely responsible for the high casualty rates in the war. In combination with barbed wire and trenches, they made crossing "no man‘s land" between trenches extraordinarily difficult and deadly.
3. Poison Gas
Chemical weapons in the form of poison gas were first used on a large scale in WW1. The Germans pioneered their use, deploying chlorine gas against the French in 1915. This was soon followed by the introduction of phosgene and mustard gases, both of which were even more lethal.
The effects of poison gas were horrific. Chlorine and phosgene caused victims to choke to death, while mustard gas caused chemical burns and blisters. The psychological impact was just as severe. Gas masks became standard-issue for all soldiers.
By the end of the war, chemical weapons had been used by all the major belligerents and inflicted an estimated 1 million casualties. Their devastating effects led to the Geneva Protocol of 1925 which banned their use.
4. Warplanes
World War I saw the first widespread use of aircraft in combat roles. At the start of the war, planes were used primarily for reconnaissance. But as the war progressed, specialized fighter planes and bombers were developed.
Famous fighter aces like the German Manfred von Richthofen, aka "The Red Baron", and Canadian Billy Bishop became celebrated heroes for their aerial victories. Dogfights between enemy fighter squadrons captured the public imagination.
Bombers allowed the war to be carried beyond the front lines to civilian populations. Germany used giant Zeppelin airships to bomb London. By 1918, all sides had developed heavy bombers like the German Gotha G.V and the British Handley Page Type O.
5. Submarines
Submarines, or U-boats as they were known in Germany, added a new dimension to naval warfare in WW1. Germany launched a devastating U-boat campaign against Allied shipping, sinking the British passenger liner Lusitania in 1915, killing 1,198 people.
In 1917, Germany resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, a major factor in drawing the US into the war. U-boats proved extremely difficult to detect and sank over 5,000 Allied ships during the war.
To counter the U-boat threat, the Allies developed new anti-submarine weapons and tactics, including depth charges, hydrophones to detect submarines underwater, and the convoy system to protect merchant ships.
6. Flamethrowers
Flamethrowers were one of the most terrifying new weapons unleashed in WW1. The Germans were the first to employ them, using the Grossflammenwerfer or "large flamethrower" to clear enemy trenches.
These weapons could project burning oil or gasoline up to 130 feet. The sight of charging soldiers equipped with flamethrowers was devastating to enemy morale. However, they were cumbersome and required a team of 3 to operate. The operators were also vulnerable to enemy fire due to their short range.
The British and French developed their own portable flamethrowers in response. While never used as extensively as other weapons, they left an indelible impression as one of the defining horrors of the war.
7. Medical Advances
Despite the unprecedented death and destruction, WW1 also spurred significant advances in medicine and surgery. With millions of wounded soldiers to treat, doctors had to innovate.
Techniques to treat infected wounds, such as debridement (removal of damaged tissue) and irrigation with antiseptic solution, became more sophisticated. The Carrel-Dakin method of delivering sterilizing sodium hypochlorite solution to wounds was widely adopted.
Plastic surgery techniques were pioneered to treat facial injuries and burns. Traction splints to stabilize compound fractures and mobile X-ray units to locate bullets and shrapnel were introduced.
The tetanus vaccine, crucial in preventing deadly infections, became standard for all Allied soldiers after 1914. Blood transfusions, though still primitive, became more common to treat blood loss.
Perhaps most importantly, the scale of the casualties led to a new understanding of "shell shock" and other psychiatric disorders caused by the stresses of combat. This laid the groundwork for modern treatment of PTSD.
8. Portable X-Ray Machines
X-rays were still a relatively new technology in 1914, having been discovered only 19 years prior. The war accelerated the development of more portable X-ray equipment that could be used near the front lines.
The ability to locate bullets, shrapnel and fractures greatly aided surgeons and improved survival rates. By the end of the war, the US Army alone had over 200 portable X-ray units in service.
One major innovation was the Coolidge tube, invented by American physicist William D. Coolidge in 1913. It was far more reliable and controllable than previous X-ray tubes. Mass production of the Coolidge tube during the war made X-rays a routine part of battlefield medicine.
9. Prosthetic Limbs
With so many soldiers suffering amputations, there was a huge demand for artificial limbs. Prior to the war, prosthetics were heavy, unwieldy and expensive. The needs of veteran amputees drove a wave of innovation in lighter, more functional and affordable prosthetic limbs.
The American Red Cross established an Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men to provide job training and prosthetics. The "Artificial Limbs Programme" in the UK supplied over 41,000 prosthetic legs alone.
New materials like aluminum and Bakelite plastic allowed for lighter, more durable limbs. The Hanger Limb, developed by American engineer James Hanger, was among the most successful new designs. Hanger, himself an amputee from the Civil War, invented an aluminum leg with adjustable tendons and rubber bumpers for shock absorption.
10. Sanitary Napkins
One of the more surprising innovations to emerge from the war was the development of modern sanitary napkins. In 1914, nurses on the front lines began using Cellucotton, a highly absorbent wood-pulp material developed by Kimberly-Clark for surgical bandages, for their menstrual needs.
After the war ended, Kimberly-Clark repurposed the material and launched the first disposable sanitary napkin, Kotex, in 1920. This was revolutionary in an age when most women still used homemade, reusable cloth pads.
The success of Kotex was in part due to changing attitudes about women‘s health and hygiene shaped by their wartime roles and experiences. It was an early example of "necessity being the mother of invention" and of wartime technology being adapted for peaceful consumer uses.
11. Kleenex
Facial tissues are another consumer product that emerged from Kimberly-Clark‘s wartime Cellucotton business. During the war, the company had tried to market the soft absorbent material as a disposable cold cream remover, but with little success.
In 1924, they rebranded it as a disposable handkerchief and dubbed it "Kleenex." It was originally marketed to women as a more hygienic alternative to cloth handkerchiefs for colds and allergies. But the company soon found that people were buying Kleenex for many other uses.
In 1930, Kimberly-Clark introduced the "pop-up" tissue box and marketed Kleenex as a disposable alternative to cloth towels. Sales doubled within a year. Like Kotex, Kleenex built on a technology originally developed for medical needs during the war.
12. Wristwatches
While wristwatches existed before the war, they were considered a women‘s accessory. Most men still carried pocket watches. But the demands of modern warfare made the pocket watch impractical in the trenches and skies over Europe.
Soldiers needed to keep their hands free while still being able to tell the time for coordinated attacks and movements. The solution was the military "trench watch." These rugged, practical timepieces had large numerals, luminous dials for nighttime visibility, and unbreakable glass crystals.
Officers ordered these watches by the thousands for their troops. By the end of the war, almost all soldiers wore a wristwatch. When they returned home, the wristwatch became a mark of wartime service and the style caught on with the general public.
Watchmakers like Cartier and Rolex capitalized on the trend, introducing their own lines of men‘s wristwatches in the 1920s. Today‘s wristwatch industry still owes much to the utilitarian origins of the trench watch in World War I.
Conclusion
World War I was a time of incredible destruction, but also of incredible innovation. The technologies and inventions it spawned have shaped the course of the 20th century and continue to impact our lives today.
From the tank and machine gun to Kotex and Kleenex, these innovations emerged from the pressing needs and challenges of the war. They changed the nature of warfare, but also had far-reaching effects on medicine, consumer goods, and society as a whole.
By understanding the history and context of these inventions, we gain a greater appreciation for the complex ways in which wartime necessity can drive technological progress, and how that progress can have profound and lasting impacts far beyond the battlefield.
