Duct Tape is a durable fabric-based tape. It has rubber adhesive on one side and polyethylene coating on the other side making it waterproof. Originally it was called Duck tape due to the waterproof nature. It was designed for the military in 1942 during World War II for use as a sealing tape for ammunition cases. Originally it was green.

Soon the military realized that due to its strength, flexibility and waterproof nature it can be used to repair various equipments. Besides the military applications NASA was using it during the Apollo spaceflights. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a couple of rolls of duct tape on the Space Station too.

After World War II when the housing industry was booming, someone discovered that the tape works great in joining heating and air conditioning duct work. Today there are better tapes for this application and the use of duct tape is against building codes in many states. The color changed from green to silver, but there are other colors too.

Duct tape can be used to fix many things although often you only want to use it as a temporary fix in an emergency situation for example. You can use it to temporarily patch up holes to keep the moisture out like a broken window. You can repair a broken objects with it or just to tie things together. It could be used as a temporary fix for a leaking pipe or hose.

Today the use of duct tape goes far beyond this. There are duct tape costumes. Since duct tape comes in many different colors, not only silver, these costumes are very colorful. Duct tape can be used to make a valet, purse and various artistic objects.

It's a good idea to keep some duct tape at home and maybe in your car. If all else fails try the duct tape.