The document discusses the origins and development of tanks from World War 1 through World War 2. It describes how the first tanks were developed from farming vehicles with caterpillar tracks to cross trenches during WWI. The Renault FT tank, designed by Louis Renault, was a successful design that introduced a fully rotating turret and influenced future tank design. During WWII, massive numbers of tanks were produced by many countries including over 100,000 each by the Soviet Union and United States.