Invention Invasion: War Tech That Changed Life

There's a new product in development that could change your nightly ritual forever.

The steam engine was an early military innovation that made an impact on American life.

(ABCNEWS.com)

The Wrigley Gum Company has paired up with the U.S. military to create an anti-bacterial chewing gum that actually cleans teeth so soldiers wouldn't have to stop what they're doing to brush their pearly whites.

If the military signs on to it, there's a good chance it will end up in your medicine cabinet one day.

When a military engineer patented the first crude steam engine when Americans were pushing west into the frontier, the trend of military inventions going mainstream began.

From trains to planes: The military's stealth jet technology may be on your feet. Many hiking boots are made from the same materials.

The "trench coat" got its name from soldiers in World War I who wore the military jackets in the trenches.

The microwave oven also was built with military technology.

Another military innovation can mean the difference between life and death -- the Medevac helicopter, pioneered during the Korean War.

The Hummer started out as the Humvee during the Persian Gulf War. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif. was the first civilian to own one.

But the mother of all military inventions is what one Pentagon official dubbed the "Intergalactic Network." That wild idea became the Internet -- undoubtedly the one military invention that changed our world the most.