WEBVTT - Weapons that Changed the World

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, welcome to stuff from the Science Lab from how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot com. Hey, this is Alice Madam Milk

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<v Speaker 1>the science edit how staff works dot com. And this

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<v Speaker 1>is Robert Lamb, Science Rider at how stuff works dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we're wandering into the world of weapons, and we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about weapons that change the world. Yeah, and uh,

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<v Speaker 1>we're actually we're talking about this earlier. Um. The first

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<v Speaker 1>thing that springs to mind is the Simpsons, right, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>the Simpsons the tree House of Horror episode where King

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<v Speaker 1>and Kodos take over the world. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's

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<v Speaker 1>the one where they got to Morocco and the Simpsons

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<v Speaker 1>going to Morocco and they buy that severed monkey hand. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>some monkey paw. That sounds much nicer than severed hand.

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<v Speaker 1>And then they'll make a wish, right, and Lisa wishes

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<v Speaker 1>for world peace, and poor Lisa backfires on her as

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<v Speaker 1>as most of Lisa's plans seem to do. They burn

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<v Speaker 1>and all the guns they you know, they other think

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<v Speaker 1>they launched weapons into the sun or something, you know. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>So everybody's at peace, and that just makes us right

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<v Speaker 1>for the picking for the aliens who might end and

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<v Speaker 1>what enslave humanity with with what weapons, um, A slingshot

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<v Speaker 1>and a club I believe for the weapons of King

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<v Speaker 1>and Kotos. And then eventually the bar keep Mo manages

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<v Speaker 1>to drive them away with I believe a board with

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<v Speaker 1>a rusty nail in it. So these are examples of

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<v Speaker 1>game changing military technologies. Each one just drastically changes the

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<v Speaker 1>face of human or human slash alien conflict on the planet. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>in real life outside of the Simpsons, we've had a

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<v Speaker 1>few too, and uh they've shaped the way wars waged

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<v Speaker 1>and and one or or lost, as the case may be.

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<v Speaker 1>And when you look at these technologies, and when Robert

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<v Speaker 1>and I were talking about them before, they you kind

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<v Speaker 1>of see that they start to fall into um three categories. Right.

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<v Speaker 1>So you have the weapons that expand the battlefield, the

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<v Speaker 1>ones that you know make it bigger, you know, make

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<v Speaker 1>the theater of war much larger, spanning continents and seas

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<v Speaker 1>and all that. And you also these same weapons can

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<v Speaker 1>increase the speed of war. And then there are weapons

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<v Speaker 1>or technologies, as the case maybe that increase communication abilities

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<v Speaker 1>between and among troops and soldiers or their ability to

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<v Speaker 1>spa on enemy troops and movements and stuff like that.

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<v Speaker 1>And then of course there's firepower, good old fashioned firepower.

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<v Speaker 1>Now you might be thinking, well, why stuff in the

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<v Speaker 1>science lab talking about military and and uh and warfare. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that's because basically the story of science is also the

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<v Speaker 1>story of war, because heaven forbid humans invent anything, um

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<v Speaker 1>that we can't turn around and kill the next guy with.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Gid Robert, all right, thinking that, note, let's

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<v Speaker 1>let's head straight to I mean, what seems to me

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<v Speaker 1>the and what historians and to agree is like one

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<v Speaker 1>of the big game changing military technologies of all up

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<v Speaker 1>all time, talking of course about the horse. The horse

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<v Speaker 1>isn't necessarily something I would think about the technology, but

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<v Speaker 1>a technology indeed for our purposes. Yes, And nobody's nobody's

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<v Speaker 1>sure exactly when when when this this all began, But

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<v Speaker 1>they say that initial domestication of the horse uh was

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<v Speaker 1>probably um looked into just for food, just you know,

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<v Speaker 1>taming the animal so that you could butcher it and

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<v Speaker 1>need it. And at some point they started realizing, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>I need a haul this from point A to point

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<v Speaker 1>b um, so why don't I hook something up to

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<v Speaker 1>the horse. They started using them as draft animals, and

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<v Speaker 1>then at some point they're like, hey, I can uh,

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<v Speaker 1>I can you know, ride this into war? And they

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<v Speaker 1>started developing ways of using the horse in warfare, and

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<v Speaker 1>they think the earliest example of this is five thousand

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<v Speaker 1>years ago. Um. And there's evidence of of horse warfare

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<v Speaker 1>of popping up in Eurasia between four thousand and three

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<v Speaker 1>thousand BC. Are you able to ride a horse by

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<v Speaker 1>the way, no, my uh, my, my wife is uh

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<v Speaker 1>there's an accomplished writer and and love's horses. I have

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<v Speaker 1>not actually gotten on one yet. She keeps threatening to

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<v Speaker 1>make it happen or I think I would probably like

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<v Speaker 1>ride maybe a pony or like a or a cart

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<v Speaker 1>behind once with a camel. Yeah, like you set between

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<v Speaker 1>the humps. It was kind of like the saddle set

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<v Speaker 1>on top of the humps, some sort of zoo place.

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<v Speaker 1>I wrote an elephant. I did write an elephant, excellent,

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<v Speaker 1>but not a horse that I remember. So I have

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<v Speaker 1>elephants been used in ballot? Probably not? Yes, yes, yes, Hannibal,

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<v Speaker 1>oh yes yes, yes, okay, oh yeah, Lord of the Well,

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<v Speaker 1>Lord of the Rings. Didn't actually happen, but still um yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Elephants in warfare are also pretty big, and in Thailand

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<v Speaker 1>they were used. Elephants have have helped helped humans out

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<v Speaker 1>in their in their warring. But anyway back to the horse.

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<v Speaker 1>Another important factor in what they call the equine revolution

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<v Speaker 1>is availability of food. And this is the trad transition

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<v Speaker 1>from hunter gathering to um to actual agriculture. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>before your hunting, gut hunter gatherers, you're gonna wage war

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<v Speaker 1>for what just you know, oh, you're picking berries and

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<v Speaker 1>from my shrubs. Right, But with the development of agriculture, um,

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly there's the ability to have a true surplus of food,

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<v Speaker 1>so you could actually attack the other guy and you'd

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<v Speaker 1>have something, you know, really tangible to steal. And the

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<v Speaker 1>horse about allows you to to not only get the drop,

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<v Speaker 1>but to run away with the food. All right, um,

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<v Speaker 1>because basically anybody can, in theory surprise another armed force.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you can creep up there on your feet.

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<v Speaker 1>But then once you've surprised them, you're gonna have to

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<v Speaker 1>make your getaway. And you can only run so fast,

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<v Speaker 1>and the other guy I can run too, But the

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<v Speaker 1>horse allows you to make us us steady escape. And

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<v Speaker 1>from there this just kicks off a horse based arms race,

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<v Speaker 1>all right. They start attaching clumsy wheeled vehicles to the horses,

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<v Speaker 1>and these these evolved into chariots, which which were in

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<v Speaker 1>a way another game changing technology because these were the

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<v Speaker 1>basically the super weapons of the time. Um. Then you

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<v Speaker 1>had other advancements such as stirrups and saddles. The stirrup

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<v Speaker 1>was really important because you could actually set down in

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<v Speaker 1>the saddle, put your feet back into the stirrups and uh,

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<v Speaker 1>and put a lance under your arm and drive it

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<v Speaker 1>directly into the enemies. You have the force of the

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<v Speaker 1>horse behind the weapon. Um. Yeah, so the horse was

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<v Speaker 1>a major contributor to our ability to destroy one another unwittingly.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't blame it on the horses, definitely not. Mr

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<v Speaker 1>d is not to blame. From there, it kind of

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<v Speaker 1>goes along some more lines. Eventually we're able to develop

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<v Speaker 1>steam technology and eventually eventually becombustion engine. All right, And

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<v Speaker 1>this uh basically just picks up where the horse left off.

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<v Speaker 1>And it alters the speed and range of war all right.

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<v Speaker 1>We can travel um farther and we can travel faster

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<v Speaker 1>and uh. And it also changes you know, it also

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<v Speaker 1>changes what kind of supplies you're gonna need. It's no more,

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<v Speaker 1>no longer do you have to worry about feeding the

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<v Speaker 1>horses as well. You just have to keep the tank's

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<v Speaker 1>gased up. Well don't they even use internal combustion engines

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<v Speaker 1>on ballistic missiles. I think they do, so it's powering. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean yeah, combustion engines you know, lead to pretty

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<v Speaker 1>much any kind of motorized weapon you can think of,

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<v Speaker 1>from airplanes in the sky you know, to uh uh

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<v Speaker 1>two submarines under the sea. Um, it's it just totally changes.

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<v Speaker 1>And speaking of which, that's the other major transportation based

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<v Speaker 1>game changing weapon technology, air power. And you know this

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<v Speaker 1>is this is pretty obvious. It just opens an entirely

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<v Speaker 1>different theater of warfare. All right. You suddenly you're able

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<v Speaker 1>to to to fly over the battlefield provide air support

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<v Speaker 1>for your troops. Therefore you need you don't. Therefore you

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<v Speaker 1>don't need as many troops on the ground. Right. No,

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<v Speaker 1>land is impenetrable now now, I mean we don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to have Omaha beaches and stuff like that with troops

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<v Speaker 1>washing up and these great waves on the shore. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean we have air power, so I mean anything is game, right, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>they all they offered in an alternative to uh two

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<v Speaker 1>typical land and sea invasion. You know, it's just another

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<v Speaker 1>way into enemy territory. And at the time people thought

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<v Speaker 1>that bombarding civilian populations would be the kind of thing

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<v Speaker 1>that would just instantly bring about peace, that the nations

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<v Speaker 1>would just crumble up far faster with that kind of

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<v Speaker 1>threat over their heads. The horse, the combustion engine, and

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<v Speaker 1>in power flight. All three of these have have changed

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<v Speaker 1>how far we can we can travel, how we travel,

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<v Speaker 1>and the speed with which we can get there. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>So these are all basically weapon delivery systems, and they've

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<v Speaker 1>changed the way we wage war. Right, so if you

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<v Speaker 1>have all these delivery systems, you have to have a

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<v Speaker 1>means of controlling them and communicating with them, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>changing the game plan if if the troops are on

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<v Speaker 1>the move. And so communication is a major theme within

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<v Speaker 1>military technology. So before recent times, commanders could still reach

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<v Speaker 1>their troops, but they just had to rely on stuff

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<v Speaker 1>like you know, a guy running, or a guy on

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<v Speaker 1>a horse, or flags or maybe and some guy standing

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<v Speaker 1>on a hill watching everything, or the pigeon, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the messenger pigeon. But this is a problematic system, as

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon could attest you back in the day. Um, there's

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<v Speaker 1>a story of Napoleon forgetting about a few thousand troops

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<v Speaker 1>during the Battle of Jenna. So Napoleon surely would have

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<v Speaker 1>appreciated the advances in communication that I've come about, like

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<v Speaker 1>the advent of radio and it's subsequent introduction into the

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<v Speaker 1>theater of war. So, first we had the wireless telegraph,

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<v Speaker 1>and this led to lots of cracking codes and stuff

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<v Speaker 1>like that, which I kind of love Enigma code so

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<v Speaker 1>forth right, So you're communicating your message over wireless telegraph

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<v Speaker 1>and granted it's getting the message are faster, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>open to enemies and spies and stuff like that. By

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<v Speaker 1>World War Two, though, you have shortwave radios and this

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<v Speaker 1>was a huge thing for the Germans actually, because the Germans,

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<v Speaker 1>as you guys might remember, did these coordinated blitzkrieg movements

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<v Speaker 1>in which pilots and soldiers are all talking by radio

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<v Speaker 1>and so you have one airplane who's providing cover and

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<v Speaker 1>tanks are moving in and it's this kind of lightning war.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the literal translation. Yeah, right. In addition to short

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<v Speaker 1>ray radio, you have radar, and this is the first

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<v Speaker 1>automated way to really see the enemy and be seen yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>So goodbye to that guy in the bluff. Who's looking

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<v Speaker 1>out for approaching troops or ships. Radar let us bounce

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<v Speaker 1>radio waves or microwaves off solid objects and then alert

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<v Speaker 1>us if say, an enemy plane is flying into our

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<v Speaker 1>particular neck of the woods. Then this is actually another

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<v Speaker 1>favorite because I love all spy stuff. You have the

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<v Speaker 1>spy satellite, and this is as far back as the

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<v Speaker 1>Cold War. Essentially countries have been sending up recon satellites

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<v Speaker 1>to see what the other side is up to. Modern

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<v Speaker 1>spy satellites can do more than just take photos. They

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<v Speaker 1>can collect telephone, own radio, and internet signals. The problem

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<v Speaker 1>seems to be is that sometimes these images or information

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<v Speaker 1>that it captures seems to be a little blurry. Have

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<v Speaker 1>you ever looked at some of these photos? Oh yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm thinking of the rest of Development episode with

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<v Speaker 1>the w m d s. But that's that's different because

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<v Speaker 1>let's turn out not to be w m ds. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>they there's you can only get so clear an image,

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<v Speaker 1>and then you sort of have to decide exactly what

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<v Speaker 1>you're looking at. Yeah. Yeah. And then beyond spy satellites,

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<v Speaker 1>we have of course GPS, and this basically turns the

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<v Speaker 1>world into a giant, instantly accessible map. And that's pretty

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<v Speaker 1>handy if you're a soldier with no earthly idea where

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<v Speaker 1>you are suddenly landed in foreign territory. So that kind

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<v Speaker 1>of covers the major advancements and communications. But we saved

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<v Speaker 1>the best for last, which of course is firepower. Well

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<v Speaker 1>the best but also kind of the worst. Yeah. I

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<v Speaker 1>guess the most impressive one, the most explosive one. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and yeah definitely has the most bag. Yeah. So let's

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<v Speaker 1>move on to the big guns. First, we have gunpowder,

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<v Speaker 1>and we have the Chinese basically to thank for this.

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<v Speaker 1>They came up with it while they are trying to

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<v Speaker 1>mix immortality elixers. Really they created the exact opposite of that.

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<v Speaker 1>So the Chinese made early versions of gunpowder weapons um,

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<v Speaker 1>including like bombs and guns, and even a type of

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<v Speaker 1>cannon called get this, the flying cloud, thunder clap eruptor

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<v Speaker 1>wow that I can just imagine the instructions for that,

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<v Speaker 1>somehow being very hard to follow. So gunpowder of course

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<v Speaker 1>changed China, and once it made its way across trade

0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:38.120
<v Speaker 1>roots had also changed Europe and Asia, and it gave

0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:41.960
<v Speaker 1>those people the abilities dominate over the barbarians. And it

0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:46.040
<v Speaker 1>was also eventually said to have crumpled the Byzantine Empire.

0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:51.640
<v Speaker 1>So gunpowder is a pretty game changing technology. But in

0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:53.720
<v Speaker 1>addition to gunpowder, you have to have the ability to

0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:55.760
<v Speaker 1>focus it right, you know, you have to be able

0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.480
<v Speaker 1>to hit your enemy if that's what you're aiming to do.

0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.719
<v Speaker 1>And so this is where proved gun barrels actually came

0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.200
<v Speaker 1>into effect. So you want to take the big ones. Yeah,

0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:06.160
<v Speaker 1>you know, what are you firing and what are you

0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:08.600
<v Speaker 1>blowing up? You know, we've been talking about gunpowder, which

0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:11.960
<v Speaker 1>is is pretty effective, but we also developed some pretty

0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.720
<v Speaker 1>terrifying armaments on top of this. Um. First of all,

0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:19.319
<v Speaker 1>there's biological and chemical weapons to consider. And by chemical,

0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:22.760
<v Speaker 1>I mean technically gunpowder is a chemical weapon, but we're

0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:27.160
<v Speaker 1>referring to everything that's not gunpowder or an explosive um,

0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:30.800
<v Speaker 1>stuff like mustard gas, mustard gas um as far as

0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:37.240
<v Speaker 1>chemical goes. And then for biological things like anthrax or vasualism, toxin,

0:13:37.920 --> 0:13:42.480
<v Speaker 1>and these are pretty terrifying. And that with with all

0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:46.480
<v Speaker 1>these is just in it allows you to kill more people. Uh,

0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:48.880
<v Speaker 1>and not just people. I mean, chemical and biological weapons

0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:50.880
<v Speaker 1>can be used against armies, but they can we live,

0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:53.360
<v Speaker 1>you know, civilian populations where they can be used against plant,

0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:59.319
<v Speaker 1>live crops, animal life. Um. And they've they've proven pretty

0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:02.280
<v Speaker 1>tricky too that you can't you can't make a chemical

0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:06.400
<v Speaker 1>weapon or biological weapon that only kills your enemies. You

0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:10.880
<v Speaker 1>know it's gonna be dangerous to your troops as well. Um.

0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:14.360
<v Speaker 1>And they're very difficult to control. The effects are are

0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:17.959
<v Speaker 1>are unpredictable and uh I really you don't have to

0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:21.760
<v Speaker 1>look at uh any further back in time than World

0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:27.200
<v Speaker 1>War One to see just how like psychologically terrifying they were. Um.

0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.800
<v Speaker 1>You know they were used to us a great effect

0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.440
<v Speaker 1>into great terror during the First World War and m

0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:37.480
<v Speaker 1>and as a result, you didn't see as as much

0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:40.160
<v Speaker 1>use in the Second World War because all the major

0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.720
<v Speaker 1>leaders in the Second World War had been troops in

0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:46.200
<v Speaker 1>the First World War and they've seen the effects firsthand. Um.

0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:48.320
<v Speaker 1>This will probably get cut, but there's a there's a

0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:52.360
<v Speaker 1>great poem by Wilfred Owen dulcay at decloromst World War

0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:56.040
<v Speaker 1>two poem. You've probably heard this right, gas gas quick boys,

0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:59.160
<v Speaker 1>and ecstasy of fumbling fitting the clumsy helmets just in time.

0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:02.400
<v Speaker 1>But someone's it was yelling out and stumbling and floundering

0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:05.320
<v Speaker 1>like a man in fire or lime dim through the

0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:09.080
<v Speaker 1>misty pains and thick green light as under a green sea.

0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:12.840
<v Speaker 1>I saw him drowning, you know. So that's that has

0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:15.920
<v Speaker 1>always kind of give given me the chills before. Yeah,

0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:20.960
<v Speaker 1>so I mean terrifying weaponry, uh and you know, and

0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:25.000
<v Speaker 1>and very effective. An ounce of bostilism toxin can kill

0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:31.320
<v Speaker 1>an estimated sixty million people. So that's something to think about.

0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.960
<v Speaker 1>As a result, they've been uh I think twenty two

0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:39.360
<v Speaker 1>UH participating countries UM agreed to ban biological weapons in

0:15:39.400 --> 0:15:42.000
<v Speaker 1>the nineteen two and there are a lot of similar

0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.640
<v Speaker 1>bands on the table for UM and in place for

0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:49.000
<v Speaker 1>chemical weapons as well. And then the big one, of

0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:53.520
<v Speaker 1>course is nuclear armaments, the ability to split the atom

0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:58.080
<v Speaker 1>and UM create a nuclear explosion. This particular weapon has

0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:03.080
<v Speaker 1>UH fortunately only been used twice in warfare UM, once

0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:06.960
<v Speaker 1>int Hiroshima where it killed ninety thod people and once

0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:10.800
<v Speaker 1>at Nagasaki where it killed thirty five thousand people. And

0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.880
<v Speaker 1>I think the the true terror this uh, this weapon

0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:18.880
<v Speaker 1>is evident in how little it's been used. You don't

0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:21.400
<v Speaker 1>have to look any any any further than the Cold

0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:25.600
<v Speaker 1>War to see just how it can really just chill

0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:32.120
<v Speaker 1>out UM military aggression at least overt military aggression um.

0:16:32.160 --> 0:16:35.520
<v Speaker 1>And we're continuing to live in an age where military

0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:40.480
<v Speaker 1>um a conquest defense is defined by the fear and

0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:44.480
<v Speaker 1>the threat of nuclear weapons. Yeah, and then you have

0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:47.160
<v Speaker 1>smaller robots like stuff they can search for booby traps

0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:49.880
<v Speaker 1>like the pac bot, or you have bigger remote controlled

0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:53.120
<v Speaker 1>trucks or tanks, you know, with computers inside them. And

0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:55.400
<v Speaker 1>then you know, doing stuff like clearing minds, and then

0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.240
<v Speaker 1>the drones like you said, doing recon in the air.

0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:01.560
<v Speaker 1>And then eventually the robots take over and turn all

0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:03.640
<v Speaker 1>the weapons on us, right right, And also we have

0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:07.080
<v Speaker 1>clone armies. No, we don't have clone armies. That could

0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:10.359
<v Speaker 1>be the way that that article didn't happen. Well, it

0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.480
<v Speaker 1>wasn't for lack of trying. It was pitched right. We'll

0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:15.639
<v Speaker 1>clone armies change the world or what we'll clone will

0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:19.080
<v Speaker 1>clone armies take over? And okay, Roberts. So if you

0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.600
<v Speaker 1>think we missed a military technology, send us an email.

0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:24.520
<v Speaker 1>It's science stuff at howstuff works dot com. Or brush

0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:26.760
<v Speaker 1>up on bots of the military kind of the top

0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:29.840
<v Speaker 1>ten game changing military strategies over on the site. And

0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.000
<v Speaker 1>you can check out the blogs where we talk about

0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:35.720
<v Speaker 1>everything from what the latest podcasts are about to uh

0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.040
<v Speaker 1>megastructures again. You can always send us an email and

0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:41.119
<v Speaker 1>uh we'll see you next time. Thanks for listening, Guys

0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:51.439
<v Speaker 1>for moralness and thousands of other topics because at how

0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:55.160
<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot com. Want more how stuff works, check

0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:57.360
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0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:17.520
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