10 things you didn’t know about duct tape

‘Duct tape is more than a miracle adhesive, it's a balm for the soul of the unprepared and inept.’

– Garrison Keillor

1. Duct tape was invented during World War II as a water resistant sealant tape for ammunition cases – so, military people call it ‘gun tape’.

2. The amount of duct tape sold every year could stretch to the moon 1.2 times or wrap around the equator 12.3 times.

3. Gaffa tape is related to duct tape but gaffa tape can be removed cleanly – it’s often used in theatre.

4. The NASA manual for spaceflight operations on the International Space Station recommends using duct tape to restrain an astronaut who goes troppo mid-mission.

5. These days, duct tape is usually silver but it was originally dark olive green.

6. The astronauts on Apollo 13 used duct tape to repair carbon dioxide filters on a failed command module, saving three lives.

7. A 2002 study claimed duct tape could be used as an effective treatment for warts.

8. It takes more than 30 kilos to break a strip of duct tape.

9. You don't need scissors to cut duct tape - you can rip it with your bare hands. But the tape doubled over can pull a 900 kilo car out of a ditch.

10. You can’t use duct tape to seal ducts (it goes brittle).