Vesta Oral Stoudt (April 13, 1891 – May 9, 1966) was a factory worker during the Second World War famous for her letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt suggesting the use of adhesive tape to improve ammunition boxes.
Vesta Stoudt | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 13, 1891 Prophetstown, Illinois, US |
| Died | May 9, 1966 Prophetstown, Illinois, US |
| Occupation | Factory worker |
| Known for | Duct tape invention |
Invention of modern duct tape
editDuring the Second World War, Stoudt worked at the Green River Ordnance Plant in Amboy, Illinois packing ammunition boxes.[1] She recognized that the way ammunition boxes were sealed made them difficult for soldiers to open in a hurry.[2][3] She suggested this idea to her bosses at work, who did not implement the change.[4] On February 10, 1943, she wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the problem and offering a solution:
I suggested we use a strong cloth tape to close seams, and make tab of same. It worked fine, I showed it to different government inspectors they said it was all right, but I could never get them to change tape.
— Vesta Stoudt to President Roosevelt, February 10, 1943[4]
Roosevelt approved of the idea which he sent to the War Production Board, who wrote back to Stoudt:
The Ordnance Department has not only pressed this idea...but has now informed us that the change you have recommended has been approved with the comment that the idea is of exceptional merit.
— War Production Board's Ordnance Department to Vesta Stoudt, March 26, 1943,[5]
They tasked the Revolite Corporation to create the product. Stoudt received the Chicago Tribune's War Worker Award for her idea and for her persistence with it. She is credited by Johnson and Johnson (the parent company of Revolite Corporation at the time) for the invention of duct tape.[6]
Personal life
editVesta Wildman married Harry Issac Stoudt on 19 October 1910 in Morgan, Illinois. They went on to have eight children.
Vesta O. Stoudt died age 75 at the Whiteside County Nursing Home in Prophetstown, on May 9, 1966, following a long illness.
References
edit- ^ "The Rad Scientist – Duct Tape". Madison and Cathedral. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ "SPECIAL EXTRA HISTORY OF DUCT TAPE UPDATE Issue". The Duct Tape Guys. 1943-10-24. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ Steven, Emma (2018-02-09). "Meet the Determined Woman Who Invented Duct Tape". Content Lab - U.S. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ a b Gurowitz, Margaret (Jun 21, 2012). "The Woman Who Invented Duct Tape". Kilmer House. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ GIULIANI, DAVID (2014-04-21). "Sterling woman credited with idea for stronger tape". SaukValley.com. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ "Meet the determined woman who invented duct tape". 9 February 2018.
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