The night has always had a mysterious and eerie aura to it, due to the darkness that it accompanies. Through time, the dark has always been something that a lot of people fear. As they say, you never know what lurks in the dark. However, as technology developed, the night has become less of a scary monster and even became a sought after period of the day, all thanks to the invention of the night vision. If you’re wondering how this innovation started in the first place, read on and learn the history of night vision.

The Art Of War And Seeing In The Dark

It has always been a point that man had to dominate his enemies but at the same time making little damage as he can. In the beginning, men fought at daytime since night raids were considered to be very dangerous. They were and virtually impossible back then. With some time, men realized that surprising their enemies with attacks were much effective and could be very devastating on their enemies’ side. This was the situation when torches became a hit, especially in the Middle Ages. If a torch can last longer, the better. However, brilliant may torches seem, it gave one big problem- it revealed the position of the attacker.

Making Things On Stealth Mode

This problem was answered during the 1940’s on the midst of World War II, by the innovation of night vision. At first, it was only sniper riffles that had this technology, so that they would have the ability to foresee enemies even from a distance. The use of this gave a dramatic effect on the whole war’s course. Ever since the Germans have found its usefulness, they have begun developing innovative technology so that they can successfully dominate even the night.

The Goggle Appearance

It was during the 1960’s Vietnam Era, when military troops began developing night vision technology. It was this time when the night vision goggles first came out and promoted. There was a remarkable advantage seen on those military divisions that has night vision goggles compared to those that did not have them. This became the reason why the government along with the military pushed on with further research about the said technology.

Owning The Night

It was during the 1990’s when such technological improvements have had the opportunity to be finally tested. It was used in the Gulf War. In general, it gave a dramatic effect, which led to the saying that the American troops “Own the Night”. This saying was very much for real, whether it be defensive or attach manoeuvres.

Recent Use

In terms of war, the technology was also used in the war against Iraq. It has proved to be an extremely excellent tool, especially for defensive purposes and guarding against the militia. The advantage is also present for thermal vision. Nonetheless, they can get the best of both worlds by combining both thermal and night vision. Doing this gives overwhelming power over the night.

For Public Use

Nowadays, night vision technology is widely available even to the public. Most likely, equipments with this feature are used by hunters since it is undeniably a reliable way for them to detect animals even during night time. There are also other uses of the technology as it is now applied on video cameras, spy cameras and surveillance cameras.

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