The History of Night Vision Goggles

Man has always sought to oppress his enemies while taking as little damage as possible. At first, men fought during the day because night raids were very dangerous and virtually impossible. As time passed, it was realized that surprise attacks were highly effective and could prove devastating against one's enemies. This was the case with the invention of torches and became even more frequent during the Middle Ages when a torch could last longer and provide more light to the attackers. Though this was a technique for successfully overcoming night's problems, its use had a major downside - the attackers' position was revealed.

This was addressed by the innovative appearance of night vision during the early 1940's in the midst of the Second World War. At first, sniper riffles had night vision technology incorporated for the ability to see enemies from a distance - this proved to have a dramatic effect in the course of the war. Since the Germans found the usefulness of night vision, they began developing new technology to successfully dominate the night.

In the 1960's, during the Vietnam Era, the military finally began developing new night vision technology - this is when night vision goggles were first promoted. The obvious advantage of those military divisions which possessed night vision goggles against those who didn't was remarkable - this led the military, with the aid of the government and numerous scientists, to further research night vision technology.

During the 1990's such technologic improvements were finally tested during the Gulf War. Its effect was so dramatic that the American military was said to "Own the Night" - this proved true for both attack and defense maneuvers which were equally important.

During the more recent war against Iraq, night vision has proven to be a very good tool for defensive purposes against the militia. This holds true for both thermal vision and night vision which are equally important - and even combined as well!

Today, night vision is available to the general public. Hunters are especially prone to purchase night vision equipment since it is an extremely reliable way to detect animals during the night. Additional uses for night vision are very numerous and you may learn more about them in the night vision articles of this website.