Military Innovation and Technology Adoption
← back to dashboard
Investment Trajectory by Technology Cluster
Annual dollar allotments per cluster, 1888–1918. Legend ordered by total spend (most → least).
$0
$100k
$200k
$300k
$400k
$500k
Allotted ($, nominal)
Spanish-American War
U.S. enters WWI
Artillery 1888: $41,033
Artillery 1889: $42,950
Artillery 1890: $735
Artillery 1891: $6,000
Artillery 1892: $227,949
Artillery 1893: $256,978
Artillery 1894: $137,036
Artillery 1895: $85,269
Artillery 1896: $479,841
Artillery 1897: $90,883
Artillery 1898: $47,207
Artillery 1899: $25,035
Artillery 1900: $93,166
Artillery 1901: $54,906
Artillery 1902: $71,394
Artillery 1903: $28,237
Artillery 1904: $63,197
Artillery 1905: $14,946
Artillery 1906: $2,135
Artillery 1907: $13,732
Artillery 1908: $14,861
Artillery 1909: $5,024
Artillery 1911: $15,000
Artillery 1912: $636
Artillery 1913: $300
Artillery 1914: $2,724
Artillery 1915: $50,519
Artillery 1916: $4,500
Artillery 1917: $22,000
Other/Unclassified 1888: $31,103
Other/Unclassified 1889: $6,022
Other/Unclassified 1891: $1,582
Other/Unclassified 1892: $152,363
Other/Unclassified 1893: $35,201
Other/Unclassified 1894: $22,215
Other/Unclassified 1895: $33,477
Other/Unclassified 1896: $143,920
Other/Unclassified 1897: $115,880
Other/Unclassified 1898: $26,640
Other/Unclassified 1899: $41,415
Other/Unclassified 1900: $35,582
Other/Unclassified 1901: $57,450
Other/Unclassified 1902: $75,945
Other/Unclassified 1903: $37,159
Other/Unclassified 1904: $71,649
Other/Unclassified 1905: $28,874
Other/Unclassified 1906: $28,358
Other/Unclassified 1907: $42,861
Other/Unclassified 1908: $93,674
Other/Unclassified 1909: $61,047
Other/Unclassified 1910: $46,701
Other/Unclassified 1911: $25,344
Other/Unclassified 1912: $52,968
Other/Unclassified 1913: $45,977
Other/Unclassified 1914: $57,826
Other/Unclassified 1915: $55,913
Other/Unclassified 1916: $77,598
Other/Unclassified 1917: $164,837
Other/Unclassified 1918: $28,950
Fortification and Engineering 1889: $100
Fortification and Engineering 1892: $239,083
Fortification and Engineering 1893: $14,775
Fortification and Engineering 1894: $501
Fortification and Engineering 1895: $3,950
Fortification and Engineering 1896: $3,043
Fortification and Engineering 1897: $6,115
Fortification and Engineering 1898: $1,200
Fortification and Engineering 1900: $5,719
Fortification and Engineering 1901: $537
Fortification and Engineering 1902: $2,038
Fortification and Engineering 1903: $75
Fortification and Engineering 1904: $39,421
Fortification and Engineering 1905: $4,675
Fortification and Engineering 1906: $8,553
Fortification and Engineering 1907: $13,281
Fortification and Engineering 1908: $2,930
Fortification and Engineering 1909: $16,080
Fortification and Engineering 1910: $9,687
Fortification and Engineering 1912: $3,928
Fortification and Engineering 1913: $3,250
Fortification and Engineering 1914: $350
Fortification and Engineering 1915: $750
Fortification and Engineering 1916: $3,000
Fortification and Engineering 1917: $3,525
Fortification and Engineering 1918: $3
Explosives 1888: $10,969
Explosives 1889: $3,034
Explosives 1891: $5,250
Explosives 1892: $20,125
Explosives 1893: $4,800
Explosives 1895: $61,952
Explosives 1896: $12,625
Explosives 1897: $7,500
Explosives 1898: $997
Explosives 1899: $1,000
Explosives 1902: $1,658
Explosives 1903: $45,298
Explosives 1904: $41,881
Explosives 1905: $26
Explosives 1906: $4,954
Explosives 1908: $685
Explosives 1909: $2,000
Explosives 1910: $1,325
Explosives 1911: $182
Explosives 1913: $400
Explosives 1914: $3,179
Explosives 1916: $20,801
Armor and Protection 1902: $7,600
Armor and Protection 1903: $22,400
Armor and Protection 1904: $2,048
Armor and Protection 1906: $59,662
Armor and Protection 1907: $2,500
Armor and Protection 1910: $650
Armor and Protection 1911: $3,801
Armor and Protection 1912: $2,000
Armor and Protection 1913: $100
Armor and Protection 1914: $48
Small Arms 1889: $650
Small Arms 1890: $250
Small Arms 1892: $350
Small Arms 1893: $20,500
Small Arms 1896: $14,150
Small Arms 1900: $126
Small Arms 1902: $100
Small Arms 1903: $3,625
Small Arms 1905: $3,038
Small Arms 1907: $325
Small Arms 1908: $515
Small Arms 1913: $1,500
Small Arms 1918: $2,650
Communications and Observation 1895: $75
Communications and Observation 1896: $100
Communications and Observation 1897: $85
Communications and Observation 1898: $296
Communications and Observation 1902: $604
Communications and Observation 1904: $282
Communications and Observation 1905: $270
Communications and Observation 1906: $20
Communications and Observation 1907: $3,000
Communications and Observation 1909: $1,000
Communications and Observation 1910: $6,381
Communications and Observation 1912: $3,500
Logistics and Support 1888: $53
Logistics and Support 1889: $35
Logistics and Support 1898: $148
Logistics and Support 1899: $15
Logistics and Support 1900: $6
Logistics and Support 1903: $50
1888
$41k
$31k
$11k
$53
1889
$43k
$6k
$100
$3k
$650
$35
1890
$735
$250
1891
$6k
$2k
$5k
1892
$228k
$152k
$239k
$20k
$350
1893
$257k
$35k
$15k
$5k
$20k
1894
$137k
$22k
$501
1895
$85k
$33k
$4k
$62k
$75
1896
$480k
$144k
$3k
$13k
$14k
$100
1897
$91k
$116k
$6k
$8k
$85
1898
$47k
$27k
$1k
$997
$296
$148
1899
$25k
$41k
$1k
$15
1900
$93k
$36k
$6k
$126
$6
1901
$55k
$57k
$537
1902
$71k
$76k
$2k
$2k
$8k
$100
$604
1903
$28k
$37k
$75
$45k
$22k
$4k
$50
1904
$63k
$72k
$39k
$42k
$2k
$282
1905
$15k
$29k
$5k
$26
$3k
$270
1906
$2k
$28k
$9k
$5k
$60k
$20
1907
$14k
$43k
$13k
$2k
$325
$3k
1908
$15k
$94k
$3k
$685
$515
1909
$5k
$61k
$16k
$2k
$1k
1910
$47k
$10k
$1k
$650
$6k
1911
$15k
$25k
$182
$4k
1912
$636
$53k
$4k
$2k
$4k
1913
$300
$46k
$3k
$400
$100
$2k
1914
$3k
$58k
$350
$3k
$48
1915
$51k
$56k
$750
1916
$4k
$78k
$3k
$21k
1917
$22k
$165k
$4k
1918
$29k
$3
$3k
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
Year
Artillery
$1,898k total
Other/Unclassified
$1,699k total
Fortification and Engineering
$387k total
Explosives
$251k total
Armor and Protection
$101k total
Small Arms
$48k total
Communications and Observation
$16k total
Logistics and Support
$0k total