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Wiki says:

Duct tape
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Duct tape, in the USA and Canada, is a vinyl, fabric-reinforced, multi-purpose adhesive tape with a soft and tacky pressure sensitive adhesive. It is generally silver or black in color (although often green in the UK) but many other colors and transparent tapes have recently become available. With a standard width of 17⁄8 inches (48 mm), duct tape was originally developed during World War II in 1942 as a waterproof sealing tape for ammunition cases.[1][2] Permacel, then a division of Johnson & Johnson, used a rubber-based adhesive to help the tape resist water and a fabric backing to facilitate ripping. Because of these properties, it was also used to quickly repair military equipment, including jeeps, guns, and aircraft. In Canadian military circles, this variant is known as "gun-tape", typically olive-green, and also known for its resistance to oils and greases. Duct tape is also called "100-MPH tape" in the military [3], due to the fact that soldiers often refer to something that exceeds expectations as "High Speed."

After the war, the housing industry boomed and people started using duct tape for many other purposes. The name "duct tape" came from its use on heating and air conditioning ducts, a purpose for which it, ironically, has been deemed ineffective. Its strength, low cost, and remarkable versatility make it a household staple throughout the USA for temporary repairs and general-purpose use.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape