7 Everyday Products That Came Out of WWI
World War I lasted four long years, and the unprecedented scale of the conflict demanded rapid innovation and resourcefulness. The brutal war of attrition, characterized by trench warfare, created many problems to be solved, from the desperate need to treat wounded soldiers to the challenge of feeding armies and maintaining communications across vast distances.
The pressures of wartime necessity sparked a wave of creativity that led to the development of numerous technologies and products — some of which went on to become staples in our everyday lives. Here are seven products that came out of World War I that we largely take for granted today.
Wristwatches
Before the First World War, wristwatches were worn almost exclusively by women as fashion accessories. Most men used pocket watches, which had been around since 1700, but these were impractical for trench warfare. During World War I, wristwatches grew in popularity, initially among the officer classes. New watch designs emerged that were larger, stronger, and often featured luminous dials for ease of reading in low-light conditions — vital for coordinating attacks and artillery barrages.
Rank-and-file soldiers from Britain saw their officers wearing wristwatches, and soon started buying their own. By the time the United States entered the war a year before it ended, troops were being issued wristwatches as part of their gear. These new accessories not only were practical, but also became a symbol of courage and bravery, helping establish wristwatches as a mainstream product after the war.
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Pilates
After the outbreak of World War I, Joseph Hubertus Pilates, a German physical trainer and inventor, was interned as an enemy alien on the Isle of Man. During his three-plus years at the internment camp, Pilates developed a regimen of muscle strengthening through slow and precise stretching and physical movements, using minimal equipment.
To allow those who were confined to their beds to exercise, Pilates used springs and straps from the beds as resistance training, greatly aiding their rehabilitation. He later opened a fitness studio in New York City in 1925, offering the exercise system he developed during the war to the general public. He went on to patent 26 exercise apparatuses, and his eponymous Pilates regime gained worldwide popularity.
Trench Coats
Today, trench coats are associated with an array of colorful fictional characters such as Dick Tracy, Columbo, Silent Bob, and Hellboy. But these waterproof, heavy-duty, and typically double-breasted coats were initially developed for British army officers.
Similar coats existed before World War I, but manufacturers — most notably Burberry and Aquascutum (both of which claim to have invented the trench coat) — modernized and modified the design to keep officers warm and dry in the trenches (hence the name). Shoulder straps were included for the attachment of epaulettes or other rank insignia; D-rings were added for attaching map cases, swords, or other equipment to the belt; and the addition of a gun flap buttoned at the chest offered extra protection in combat. And so the modern trench coat was born — a practical piece of attire that remains in fashion today.
Plastic Surgery
Modern plastic surgery originated in Britain, a nation that saw some 735,487 troops discharged following major injuries in World War I. Many of these were facial injuries, which were initially covered using masks and patches. Then came Harold Gillies, a young ENT surgeon from New Zealand, who developed techniques to rebuild faces using plastic surgery. In 1916, he was tasked with setting up Britain’s first plastic surgery unit, where he began treating disfigurements using tissue from elsewhere on the patient’s body.
The pioneering work of Gillies and his team laid the foundations of modern plastic surgery, which today continues as a life-altering medical treatment and a sought-after cosmetic product.
Zippers
Ever since the mid-19th century, various inventors had been working on combinations of hooks, clasps, and eyes to find a smooth, convenient fastening device. None of their attempts quite worked, due to design flaws and other issues, until Swedish American engineer Gideon Sundback invented the “hookless fastener” during World War I.
Improving upon previous designs, the inventor came up with a product very similar to the modern zipper. His hookless fasteners were soon put on money belts, which became an instant success among U.S. sailors, whose uniforms didn’t have pockets. Then, in 1918, the U.S. Navy ordered fasteners for 10,000 flying suits. The zippers caught on, quickly becoming a standard part of all kinds of bags and apparel.
Kotex
In 1914, researchers at the consumer goods company Kimberly-Clark were touring pulp and paper plants in Europe when they came across a material that was five times more absorbent than cotton and cost half as much to produce. The company took the material back to the U.S. and trademarked it as cellucotton.
When America entered World War I in 1917, Kimberly-Clark used the material to produce wadding for surgical dressing. Red Cross nurses soon discovered that the new material made an excellent sanitary pad — superior to the flannels and other products they were previously using. When the war ended and demand for surgical dressing dried up, Kimberly-Clark heard about the Red Cross nurses and repurposed its product for commercial use. In 1920, Kotex hit shelves, forever changing the market.
Kleenex
Surgical dressing wasn’t the only use of cellucotton during World War I. By flattening out the material, Kimberly-Clark developed a thin, highly absorbent crepe paper used as a filter in gas masks — a vital piece of equipment in trench warfare. When the war ended, the company once again found itself looking to repurpose a product. It cleverly remarketed its cellucotton sheets as makeup and cold cream removers, and launched the sheets in 1924 with the name Kleenex.
It wasn’t long before people began recommending the product as an ideal tissue for blowing noses during colds. So, in another astute marketing move, Kimberly-Clark started promoting Kleenex as “the handkerchiefs you can throw away” — creating the brand that’s now synonymous with disposable tissues.
