All the technologies that have come into our lives have come about because of one trait intrinsic to every human being. Curiosity. It has driven people for centuries. And sometimes it becomes a good friend and helper, and sometimes it has a destructive power. But on the whole, it's only as good as when it's under control. Millions of questions have forced the man to do many seemingly reckless things. But we can thank those brave men who were not afraid to go along with this feeling. How can I keep myself safe? What if it could use fire for more than just cooking? How can I wound an opponent without going near him? What makes it possible for birds to fly? All the "how? why?" that have brought us to this point in our lives cannot count. And all the things that came into our lives after solving the following question were under the control of physics.

As unfortunate as it is to realize, the fact remains. Curiosity has a comrade, which is probably the fundamental mechanism of progress. And that is war. All technologies were created for it or learned to improve during this period. And only with time did they come into human life.

Who invented night vision goggles & binoculars?

Catching the enemy by surprise in the dark - a necessary measure in terms of strategy. It has several advantages: it blunts your guard, disarms the enemy, and the surprise attack sows panic. But on the other hand, it is very ambiguous. For what advantages can play against you.

And one of the most intractable problems that people could not cope with for centuries is the inability to see in the dark. But by the time of World War II, the German army had found a way out. After all, during this period, the first models of the apparatus, which we now know as the night vision device, appeared.

Although there is a nuance here, which should be clarified, it should rewind time a little back before the beginning of World War II. And to meet the man who first discovered that it was possible to apply light-sensitive to infrared. The Hungarian physicist Kalman Tihanyi found the basis for the night vision goggles and the first infrared video camera. They were initially designed for military purposes, which is not surprising.

After 1939, thanks to the company AEG, whose work was aimed at improving binoculars and goggles, the Germans began to use this device and actively install them on their equipment. For example, the Panther tank gave the German army a distinct advantage in combat operations and the ability to attack in the dark when the enemy did not even counterattack.

But for every action, there is opposition. And the forces of other countries were growing, and the progress of their technology did not stand still either. Because a little later, in America, their prototypes of the device appeared, similar in the principle of action and pursuing the same goals, expanding the soldier's capabilities during a night attack. The first such was the sniper sight, which worked thanks to the same infrared beam. By the end of World War II, the FG 1250 and "Vampire" developed. The former was mounted on tanks and combat vehicles. The second served as an additional attachment to a soldier's weapon, which increased his chances of hitting the enemy.

After the end of the war, no one was going to give up such an applicable invention. And after 1958, the manufacture, which was located in Ruanok, Virginia, began to engage in the supply of night vision devices for the U.S. Army. If you compare the first samples used in the military period, of course, they were bulky devices, not very comfortable in operation. But now, they were becoming more compact, more comfortable, and technologically more accurate. New principles of device operation were being developed.

That is how night vision goggles and appeared in the life of humanity. Having become an indispensable attribute in wartime, requiring modernization, gradually became what we know, see and use today.

Hunters who made a foray in the dark actively used it. It is an indispensable attribute of law enforcement officers. The night vision units continue to be installed on cameras, which helps to transmit the picture in poorly lit places. It is surprising to realize that this device is not even 100 years old. And in such a relatively short time, it has developed, modernized, and become more convenient for everyday life.