1. The Inventor's War 
  2. How Much Do You Know
    About World War II? 
Welcome to The Inventor's War Homepage

Some of the wartime innovations that became contributions to the Inventor's War
Electrically heated clothing for Allied bomber crews / The electric blanket
Waste water from the production of Masonite wood board / artificial vanilla
Attempts to synthesize rubber / Silly Putty, polyurethane
Attempts to synthesize morphine / Demerol, Methadone
A failed attempt to confiscate the food of a Spanish region / La Tomatina
A way to grow crops without dirt / Hydroponics
A better way to treat injuries during the London Blitz / the emergency room and the
critical care ambulance

Answers From The Pima County Fair Quiz Board

In 1945, a British carmaker changed its name from Swallow Sidecar Company to the present one. What was the new name and why the change?

Jaguar Cars, because the company founder did not want to have the notoriously criminal Nazi SS to have even the slightest hint of connection to his company, then known with its own iconic SS symbol.

What does the “whole nine yards” mean in relation to WWII?

That was the length of ammo belts in several American fighters and bomber gun positions. Firing the whole nine yards (27 feet) of .50 cal. ammo packed quite a punch and represented an all-out attempt to destroy the enemy.

San Fransisco’s  homosexual community was greatly impacted by WWII. Why?

Homosexuality was a criminal act in the American military warranting a dishonorable discharge among other punishments. If the serviceman was outside of the continental U.S., this meant a trip back to the closest port of landing. There, they were put ashore, often without the means to get home. San Fransisco, being the major port of call for the Pacific theater and historically tolerant of social outcasts, welcomed the new citizens. Hence, the present day gay community had a huge boost from the population influx done in the 1940s.

What sport was invented due to WWII?

Wheel chair racing.

Howard Hughes was badly injured test-flying his twin-engine WWII reconnaissance aircraft in 1945. What medical device was invented as a result of this incident?

The electrically driven, multi-position hospital bed.

Modern video games have this WWII invention to thank for their functionality. What is this invention and what country was the origin of it?

Germany produced the first working “joy stick” for the HS-293 anti-shipping guided missile.

Who was Curtis Cullen, his rank and what was the post-war device his simple fix in Normandy inspire?

A sergeant, he devised the “hedgerow cutter” that defeated the dirt and root berms separating the Normandy farm fields. Looking like enormous forks welded to the front of Allied tanks, they were made from salvaged German steel beach obstacles. Postwar, they became the model for ripper teeth on front-end loaders.

We hear about the “Gross Domestic Product (GDP)” in the news occasionally. How did that phrase pertain to WWII?

GDP was a statistical device created during the war to quantify and gauge the wartime economy.

Auschwitz is the notorious concentration camp and murder factory in Poland. It served as a Polish government facility in two ways before the war. What were these?

A military barracks and a tobacco warehouse/processing factory.

Lt. Gen. Shiro Iishi oversaw Unit 731, the biological warfare branch of the Imperial Japanese Army. What did he invent just before the war?

A water filter so efficient that one could urinate into it and render fresh, drinkable water moments later. During an Imperial visit to his laboratory, he nearly gave Emperor Hirohito a glass of water that he had just processed with his own urine. His associates intercepted the beverage at the last moment.



The Inventor's War is now on sale at Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com. I invite any of my readers to submit their comments regarding the book at either of those sites. 
Website Builder