{"id":927,"date":"2010-02-20T04:51:01","date_gmt":"2010-02-20T12:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=927"},"modified":"2013-06-14T21:28:31","modified_gmt":"2013-06-15T04:28:31","slug":"duct-tape-was-originally-named-duck-tape-and-came-in-green-not-silver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2010\/02\/duct-tape-was-originally-named-duck-tape-and-came-in-green-not-silver\/","title":{"rendered":"Duct Tape was Originally Named \u201cDuck\u201d Tape and Came in Green, Not Silver"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Today I found out<\/a> Duct tape was originally named “Duck” tape and originally only came in green, not silver.<\/p>\n

Duct tape was originally invented by Johnson & Johnson’s Permacel division during WWII for the military.\u00a0 The military specifically needed a waterproof tape that could be used to keep moisture out of ammunition cases.\u00a0 This is why the originally Duct tape came only in army green.<\/p>\n

As to why it was originally called “Duck” tape by the soldiers isn’t entirely known.\u00a0 It is commonly thought that because it was green and shed water, like a duck, the soldiers took to calling the tape “Duck” tape.\u00a0 An alternative theory is that they called it thus because it resembled strips of cotton duck.\u00a0 Which one is true or if it was a combination of the two, isn’t known, but in either case they called this new tape “Duck” tape.<\/p>\n

Soldiers began noticing it wasn’t just good for waterproofing ammunition casings, but also worked great for repairing things.\u00a0 They began using it for repairing jeeps, guns, and aircraft.\u00a0 Due to its waterproof nature, strength, and built in adhesive, they even began using it as a temporary means to close up wounds in emergencies; this is fitting because the closest predecessor of duct tape was also a Johnson & Johnson product used as medical tape.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

So how did “Duck” tape eventually come to be known as “Duct” tape and be sold primarily silver in color instead of army green?\u00a0 When the soldiers of WWII came home, they brought “Duck” tape with them.\u00a0\u00a0 Shortly after their return, the housing market was booming.\u00a0 Some manufacture then got the bright idea to start selling it as a means to connect heating and air conditioning ducts; this idea caught on among home manufacturers and they started using it in many of the new homes being built.\u00a0 To allow for this usage, the tapes primary color was switched from green to silver, so that it would match the ducts.\u00a0 Soon the tape began being referred to as “Duct” tape instead of “Duck” tape.<\/p>\n

Ironically, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Energy Division concluded that you should never use Duct tape to seal ducts.\u00a0 Their tests showed that under typical duct conditions, duct tape becomes brittle and will fail quickly.\u00a0 Duct tape also can catch on fire or just smolder and produce toxic smoke.\u00a0 Because of this, it’s usage on ducts has been prohibited by the state of California as well as in building codes in most of the U.S.<\/p>\n

Words of Wisdom:\u00a0 “One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop.”\u00a0 –G. Weilacher<\/p>\n

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (iTunes<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, Google Play Music<\/a>, Feed<\/a>), as well as:<\/p>\n