Radioluminescent paint is a self-luminous paint that consists of a small amount of a radioactive isotope (radionuclide) mixed with a radioluminescent phosphor chemical. Here's how Wikipedia describes the process by which light is created. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky invented the paint in 1908, mixing it with other chemicals to create the first "lume."įACT #2: TO SEE THE WATCH IN THE DARK, YOU HAD TO WEAR A RADIOACTIVE WATCH. HOWEVER, IT DIDN'T HELP YOU SURVIVE NO-MAN'S LAND.Įnter radioluminescent paint (say that three times fast) and the second fact in the article, your watch was radioactive! The radioactive material of choice was radium. The solution was to use luminous paints on the watch hands and hour indices.įACT #1: LUMINOUS WATCH HANDS SAVED YOU FROM SNIPER FIRE. Well, why not simply light a lamp or candle? As dangerous as ranked assaults across no-man's land were in the Great War, showing a light, even in the trenches, invited being killed by enemy snipers. Since attacks often took place in pre-dawn hours, it was important to leave the trenches at the right time, so your command advanced with other units protecting your flanks. During WWI, officers in the trenches needed a way to tell the time to properly implement their orders. Take luminous watch hands and indices, for example. As is often the case with technological advances, need is the mother of invention.
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