This early radar device was used during World War II on the beach in Normandy. Photograph taken on June 22, 1944.
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Image courtesy of the public domain
The History of Radar
Radar was developed during the early 20th century. The idea of a radar device was around for a long time, but the technology wasn't available to make it work. One of the biggest advances came as the result of the efforts of Robert Watson-Watt, a British scientist.
Great Britan made a big effort to develop radar before World War II. They built a network of early warning radar stations (called "Chain Home") around the country to warn people of invasions. This gave them the edge to defeat the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
While most radar advances were made because of wartime uses, before World War II people were interested in radar because it could help avoid collisions during bad weather (an example of this is when the Titanic sunk after hitting an iceberg in 1912).
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