From camouflage clothing to nuclear power, the world is full of inventions born from military programs and projects. In fact, the Department of War recently put out a rather fascinating article on some of the items many of us see or use in our everyday lives that owe their existence to the armed forces. While fascinating and well-worth the read, it was far from comprehensive. Which is why we offer you this supplemental list of another half-dozen world-changing innovations with origins in the armed forces.

Jet Airplanes

While people of all stripes have travelled aboard jets since 1952, military aviators began flying them years before the British-made de Havilland Comet became the first commercial jet airliner. The idea of powering aircraft with jet engines lacks a single origin or inventor, as individuals in different countries began pursuing the idea in the years leading up to World War II. And on August 27th of 1939, mere days before the invasion of Poland, the experimental German aircraft Heinkel He 178 took flight powered by a jet engine, the first to do so.

That led to the creation and deployment of the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first ever jet fighter, in 1944. Thankfully, it debuted too late in the war to give the Nazis much of an edge.

The Allies developed their own jet fighters in the waning days of the conflict, though it wasn’t until after the war ended that jets became the primary type of airplane utilized by the US military. The technology that powered them eventually made its way into the civilian world with the aforementioned Comet.

Computers

The DoW piece rightfully included the internet in its list, which began as the DARPA net in 1969. But that particular everyday innovation would never have existed without another device created for military use: the computer.

While automated computing devices trace their origins back to 19th century inventor Charles Babbage and mathematician Ada Lovelace, who created the world’s first computer and computer program, respectively, the direct progenitors of today's desktops and laptops began operating in WWII.

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As part of Great Britain’s efforts to decode the missives sent through Nazi Germany’s notoriously indecipherable Enigma coding system, a team of experts led by the legendary mathematician Alan Turing developed a complex machine capable of calculating the proper translations of the coded messages.

Post-war developments by Turing (who, despite his immeasurable contribution to the Allied victory and technological development, perished by suicide in 1954 after being chemically castrated by the British government for being homosexual), military experts like Admiral Grace Hopper led to the continuing evolution of the computer. And now, all these decades later, such devices are one of every average household’s typical array of appliances.

Metal-Hulled Ships

Unless you spend much time at sea or near a major port, you may not really think of ships playing a part in your daily life. But you’d be wrong. Over 80% of all goods and products travel by cargo ship. And that's not even considering all the other roles ships built of steel play in our world, from cruise liners full of vacationers to the fleets of fishing trawlers that supply our restaurants and grocery stores. And every single one of those vessels traces its lineage, to some degree, back to the naval ironclads of the mid and late nineteenth century.

For nearly all of our species’ history (as far as we know), every waterborne craft to carry human beings was made of either wood or animal hides. But in 1859, the French warship Glorie put to sea as the world’s first “ironclad.”

With a hull constructed entirely of metal, she marked the dawn of a new era in maritime and naval engineering. However, her uniqueness did not last long. By 1861, the British had their own metal vessel, and in March of 1862, the first fight between ironclads took place when the USS Monitor and the Confederate ship CSS Virginiai battled to a standstill at the Battle of Hampton Roads.

Drones

While the history of unmanned aircraft may go back farther than most people think, it still began with the military. In fact, the first devices that arguably fall into that category date back to 1849 when, during their siege of Venice, Austria floated hot air balloons equipped with time-fused incendiary devices over the city.

The first powered versions of unmanned aircraft date back to the First World War, when many militaries began developing remotely controlled planes for use as either explosive-filled weapons (then dubbed “aerial torpedoes”) or training targets.

As aircraft designs continued to develop and advance during the rest of the 20th century and the dawn of the 21st century, drones evolved as well to the point that they are not only everyday tools of practically every country in the world’s military, but also gadgets available to anyone who wants one.

Cargo Pants

They may not be exactly in fashion these days (not that this writer would really know), but damn if cargo pants with their many pockets aren’t a handy part of an outfit. It may seem like common sense to include at least one extra pair of storage compartments on the pants worn by someone serving in combat, but it’s a surprisingly recent innovation.

Sometime in the late 1930s, the British military introduced trousers with an additional, larger-than-usual pocket close to the knee. The additional storage capacity provided by these innovative bottoms led to further multi-pocket pants for British troops.

After the US joined the Allies in WWII, trousers of this sort became standard legwear for American paratroopers and, eventually, all servicemembers. Decades later, they became common pieces of attire for civilians as well, albeit frequently derided ones (which this writer wears frequently and will not apologize for).

As with the article that inspired this one, the innovations listed here are far from the only ones that owe their creation in some part to the military of one or more countries. But these are undoubtedly ones that play a role in most people’s daily lives. Ones whose martial origins are worthy of highlighting lest they be forgotten.

Suggested reads:

• Combat Currency: How a Steak Became a Marine's Ransom
• How the USS Nautilus Made History and Changed the US Navy Forever
• The Surprising Purpose Behind Sinking Old U.S. Tanks at Sea