During World War II, a factory worker named Vesta Stoudt noticed a dangerous problem while packing ammunition boxes for the U.S. military.

The paper tape sealing the boxes often became difficult to open in wet or stressful combat conditions, costing soldiers precious seconds under enemy fire.

Frustrated that supervisors ignored the issue, Stoudt wrote directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 and suggested creating a strong, waterproof cloth tape with an easy-to-pull tab.

Her letter reportedly reached military officials, and manufacturers, including a division of Johnson & Johnson, soon developed and mass-produced the product that became known as “duck tape,” later evolving into modern duct tape.

The military used it extensively during the war for sealing ammunition cases, repairing equipment, and countless field fixes.

Vesta Stoudt later received a letter of commendation from the War Department for her idea, but there is no evidence she received financial compensation or royalties for it.

That last part is very common in wartime manufacturing history. Useful ideas often became government-directed industrial products rather than privately patented inventions.