During the Second World War at a munitions plant in Illinois, American ordnance factory worker Vesta Stoudt noticed a small but dangerous flaw in how ammunition boxes were sealed. The crates were closed with thin paper tape coated in wax, with a pull tab left so soldiers could tear them open quickly. In practice the tab often tore off early, forcing troops to dig out a knife or bayonet to get at the ammo, wasting seconds and diverting attention at the worst possible time.
Stoudt suggested replacing the paper tape with a strong, waterproof cloth backed adhesive tape. When her supervisors did not act, she wrote directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 with her idea and simple diagrams. The War Production Board approved the concept and Johnson and Johnson developed a tough, water resistant green tape made from cotton duck fabric and a rubber based adhesive, soon nicknamed duck tape and later duct tape.
Once the tape existed, soldiers began using it far beyond ammo boxes. It sealed small leaks, insulated bare wires, held panels in place, and secured dressings or improvised splints when proper medical gear was not available.
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