Sir Sidney McSprocket and the Victory Vault - Duct Tape - Fun Kids

Och hello there… Sir Sidney McSprocket here!

My parrot Polly is still in the Victory Vault. It’s my latest invention, a totally tremendous time machine that can take us to explore incredible inventions.

I’d set the parameters to explore the dark years of the 1940s when we were at war. Come on, we better go and find her!

Scanning Location
More to click...
Freeze Dried Coffee
Computers
Ball Point Pens and Super Glue
Illinois, USA.
Date – May 1943
Invention Detected – Duct Tape.

We’re in a very busy factory with LOTS of boxes.

Ammunition is being packed for our soldiers on the front line.

The tape they’re fixing them with is paper. Too wet and the ammo will just spill out on the floor and too dry, well the paper can be tough to rip open… especially when in a rush!

Vesta Stoudt

Meet Vesta Stoudt! She’s been inventing something – a sturdier, cloth-backed, waterproof tape.

Her idea is to make the tape from fabric, not paper.

It’s something that folks have tried in the past, using cloth tape coated with polyethylene to make shoes stronger, for decoration on clothing and for wrapping electrical conductors to protect them from wear.

But with the glues they had, Vesta was sure her invention would be super waterproof and wouldn’t fall off. What’s also good is that the fabric on the grain is easy to rip… whatever the weather.

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Clever thinking!

Vesta sent her ideas to the President – Mr Roosevelt himself!

So the hundred dollar question is… did the President read Vesta’s letter? The answer is yes… and he approved the invention for mass production of duct tape as we know it today.

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Duck tape?!

Did you know duct tape was once called “duck tape”? Some say it got this name because it was waterproof – just like a duck! It was first made during World War II to help soldiers seal ammunition cases and fix equipment.

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After the war, people started using duct tape for household repairs. Today, it’s a must-have for fixing things, crafting, and even space missions!

In 1970, astronauts on Apollo 13 used duct tape to help save their lives by repairing CO filters in their spacecraft.

From battlefields to space, duct tape has done it all!

Incredible innovation indeed!

Oh… Polly. She’s still in the Victory Vault. I better follow her… but maybe after a wee cuppa tee! Tatty bye for now!

Duct Tape Design Challenge

Stick with us as we explore one of the war’s stickiest inventions! Make your own creation from duct tape, just like engineers and soldiers did during World War Two. From fixing equipment to patching holes, this tough tape became a wartime essential. What will you design with it today? Get started here!