Dare-devils, Boffins and Cowboys: WWII technology in your lives today

Many of the astounding inventions that came out of WWII, owe their creation to the amazing scientific research designs of the 1930s. Their use was propelled by US and British governments funding these projects to help the Allied forces. The technology created has drastically re-shaped the world!

You might even be surprised!

Imagine you are sitting in a jet aircraft, waiting to take off to foreign parts. You may not realise just how much of the equipment that your flight relies on, was born out of necessity during that time of conflict. The first flight by the Wright brothers on 17 December 1903 lasted only 12 seconds. By the 1940s, flights in the Strategic Air War might be as long as 2,100 miles. That difference reflects the pace of change in only 40 years.

When we get sick today, we rely on the miracles of modern medical science - often created by need in war. Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, but it wasn’t until World War II that the United States began to mass-produce it as a medical treatment. Prior to that minor grazes could lead to major infections. Then US surgeon Charles Drew standardized the production of blood plasma for medical use, which could be given to anyone regardless of a person’s blood type, making it easier to administer on the battlefield.

So, what do we rely on today, that owes its invention to the technological necessities of WWII? Why not pre-book a guided, 1 hour full tour, and find out as you walk the hallowed grounds where the young men and women, at the cutting edge of science, are commemorated.