The History of Metal Detectors

A French electrical engineer created the first metal detector in 1874 in order to help find and remove bullets from people. Later, Alexander Graham Bell created a metal detector to help find the bullet inside President James Garfield after he was shot; however, the metal on the President’s bed threw off the device and the attempt was unsuccessful. During World War II, a Polish Army engineer named Lieutenant Józef Kosacki was stationed in Scotland when he created the first portable metal detector; despite the large, heavy backpack required to house the electronics, it was widely used by Allied soldiers to detect land mines. Today, metal detectors serve as valuable tools that are used in everything from airport security to archeology.