Duct Tape in Popular Culture

Is there anything Duct tape can't do? Duct tape is the Rock Star of the adhesive tape world with more uses than Imelda Marcos has shoes. Practically every American household kitchen has a roll of duct tape in the junk drawer. And, If life was fair, every guy would be born with a work shop and a roll of duct tape.

So, what was the origin of this miraculous fix-all. Well, first of all, duct tape was called duck tape. The Army, during World War II, needed a way to water proof ammunition boxes so they sent out a request to companies to develop something that would fill their needs. Johnson & Johnson came up with the canvas backed super adhesive green tape. Everything is green in the Army. The rumor is that GI's came up with the name "Duck tape" because of it's ability to shed water. They, the GI's, also discovered that the stuff was great for fixing or rigging just about everything else. They used it for everything from repairing boots and fatigues to rifles, tents and the occasional bullet wound.

It was after the war that the name changed from duck to duct tape. People in the heating and air conditioning business learned that the tape was danged near perfect for connecting heating and air ducts. Soon, every company in the field was using the tape in great quantities. As time went on and the tape was used more and more the name gradually changed to duct tape. I don't know that Duct tape has a legal name.

Crime is another business that is highly dependant on Duct tape. Duct tape is the number one choice among criminals for taking hostages and taping mouths. The old saying in the crime world is "silence is golden, duct tape is silver".  It has also replaced rope for binding legs and attaching cement blocks to feet. TV crime shows also use a lot of Duct tape. The series MacGyver had no chance without duct tape and Frasier's dads chair, all wrapped in duct tape, is a central piece in that show.

If you are a race fan, especially NASCAR, you already know about 100 mph tape. After a crash the pit crews use duct tape (aka 100 mph tape) to repair the damage and get the car back in the race. A lot of race cars have crossed the finish line held together with duct tape.

Even NASA keeps a roll of duct tape in the glove box on lunar missions. In December, 1972 the Apollo 13 moon mission was in big trouble. During the return to Earth the co2 scrubbers went on the blink and the astronauts were facing suffocation if the scrubbers couldn't be repaired quickly. (The scrubbers removed the co2 from the cabins air.) After a lot of brain storming, technicians in Houston came up with a plan on how to fix the scrubbers with, you guessed it, duct tape. A technician directed the repair to Apollo 13 and the rest is history.

  A bush pilot in Alaska took a group of fisherman to a remote wilderness lake to do some trout fishing. The pilot left the plane tied up at the lake shore while the group went out fishing. While the plane was unattended a big brown bear came along looking for groceries. The bear smelled the fisherman's lunch and commenced to tear the plane to pieces to get to the food.

When the group returned and saw what was left of the plane they were sure that they would be spending the night in the Alaskan wilderness. Not to mention a large brown bear with bologna on it's breath roaming around.

The pilot, not being easily rattled, got on the radio and called a friend, another bush pilot, and told him to bring out a case of duct tape. The pilot repaired the plane in a couple of hours and they flew out and back to civilization.

Another great use for duct tape is auto upholstery. The seats in my work vans get a real workout over the course of a year. But, for about $7 and a roll of duct tape I can cover the bottoms, where the butt goes, and I'm good for another year. You can now get duct tape in an assortment of colors. A light blue looks good in the vans.

With a little duct tape and tin foil you can create a hat to keep aliens from stealing your brain. Clear plastic and duct tape works great to fill the hole where the window should be and duct tape book covers look bitchen.

Duct tape has even entered the world of fashion. Many high school students around the country have opted for the duct tape tux and dress rather than the traditional prom uniform. It's only a matter of time before we see duct tape on the runways of Paris and London for reasons other than to hold a models boobs in place.

There's little doubt that duct tape has secured a place in American culture right along with Mom, baseball and apple pie. Ask anyone on the street if they know who the 16th President was and very few will know, but, ask about duct tape and the answer is, "sure, I keep it in the cabinet, right beside the spam

(The images used in this article are non-copyrighted images.)