Daylight saving time

Daylight saving time
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The idea of fiddling with the clock has been around since antiquity, but it was not until World War I that governments around the globe officially adopted daylight saving time. Why? To conserve resources such as fuel and extend the workday for the war effort. The Germans and Austro-Hungarians did it first, in 1916, and the Allies followed shortly after. To clear up confusion about the concept, the Washington Times used a comic strip to explain the first “spring forward” in the United States in 1918.

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Wristwatches

Wristwatches
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Timepieces known as wristlets were sold during the 19th century. However, they failed to take off with men until World War I demonstrated their superiority to pocket watches in battle – particularly for military leaders who were co­ordinating precision attacks. By the war’s end, an entire generation of young men either had a wristwatch or wanted one for Christmas.

Blood banks

Blood banks
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Blood transfusions date back to the 1600s, but doctors rarely performed them before World War I, when they were accomplished by transfusing blood directly from one person to another. Captain Oswald Robert­son, a US Army Reserve doctor consulting with the British army, recognised the need to stockpile blood before casualties occurred. In 1917, he helped establish the first blood bank on the western front.

Here are some reasons everyone should know their blood type.

Hollywood

Hollywood
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With so much of Europe in the line of fire, the European film industry had to scale back dramatically. That opened the door for the Americans. Holly­wood was still in its infancy, but its studios soon made fortunes producing wartime propaganda. The war itself provided material for countless movies in the 1920s and ’30s, including Wings, the winner of the first Academy Award for Best Picture.

Trench coats

Trench coats
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While Charles Mac­intosh invented weatherproof outerwear about a century before World War I, Burberry and Aqua­scutum modernised the design to keep British officers warm and dry. Today, many trench coats (yes, that’s why they’re called that) come with flaps and rings that were originally created for securing pistols, map cases, and even swords.

Check out these accidental discoveries that changed the world.

Zippers

Zippers
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Originally known as a slide fastener, the zipper wasn’t mass-produced until World War I, when the US military requested them for flight suits and money belts, which were a necessity for US sailors because their uniforms didn’t have pockets.

Drones

Drones
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It’s hard to imagine drones in the skies just 15 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Nevertheless, when the US Navy tested the first Curtis N-9 Aerial Torpedo on March 6, 1918, unmanned aircraft became a reality. (Alas, the nation would have to wait almost a century for drones that could deliver pizza.)

Soy dogs

Soy dogs
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In 1918, in Cologne, Germany, Mayor Konrad Adenauer applied for a patent for his novel ­way of preserving meat: mixing sausage with soy flour. Although not strictly vege­tarian, the method had staying power. Soy products are now a multibillion-­dollar industry in the United States alone.

Don’t miss these ingredients that will make you a better cook.

Modern passports

Modern passports
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In hopes of restoring tourism throughout Europe, the League of Nations issued guidelines for uniform passports in 1920. The standard documents were to include a cover embossed with the issuing country’s name and coat of arms – the same basic look they have today.

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Source: RD.com

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