Science, technology and war
Imperial War Museum North
Some of the most important scientific, medical and technical innovations of the twentieth century were made as a result of war.
The Imperial War Museum North has an exhibition to show how governments in wartime invest huge resources to develop new weapons and other means to wage war more effectively. Some of the spin offs from this research have done much to change our lives through the development of new forms of medical care, new materials as well as new forms of transport and communications.
Weapons
In the first world war, both sides experimented with the use of poison gas. This new weapon was not decisive in the war. It was hard to control and could be countered with gas masks and protective clothing.
In the second world war the potential scale and impact of war was changed for all time by the development of the atomic bomb. there are now enough nuclear weapons worldwide with the potential power to destroy the Earth many times over.
Medicine
The exhibition explains how R & D during two World Wars led to improvements in orthopaedics, the treatment of malaria, the use of antibiotics and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Transport
The German and British air forces brought jet-powered aircraft into service towards the end of the Second World War.
Communications
In the First World War soldiers were still using carrier pigeons to try to find out what was happening during battles. In the Second World War radio was widely used with codes that were hard to break. Radar was developed to detect aircraft a technology which only worked because of the discovery of polythene as a light-weight electrical insulator.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 11 August 2003
