Superglue has been around since 1942, when Dr Harry Coover tried to develop a transparent plastic for precision rifles using chemicals known as cyanoacrylates. On contact with moisture, the substance polymerised and stuck all the test materials firmly together. As this was completely unsuitable for precision rifles, cyanoacrylate was discarded.

 

Six years later, Coover tested the heat resistance of cyanoacrylates and found that they did not require heat or pressure to bond materials together. After a few refinements, cyanoacrylates were sold commercially as superglues.

 

Superglue was also used during the Vietnam War for wounded soldiers by spraying the glue onto open wounds to stop the bleeding.

The irony of it all is that a discovery that was made for the production of lethal weapons ended up saving many lives.