dherbman:
off the top of my head, flight was invented by civilians 20 years before its use
in war.
internal combustion: developed for commercial use long before it was used in war. in fact, during Word War I, private taxicabs were commandeered by the French Army to transport soldiers to the front ... the Army didn't have too many trucks.
astronomy: practiced for centuries unrelated to warfare
computers: again, this was developed by civilians for private business before they were ever used in war
mass production: perfected by Henry Ford for his autmobile plant in 1903, again,
for commercial gain.
i think if we explore your list a little more in depth, you will see that again and again commercial developments (developed to make money) were adapted by the armies of the world to wage war.
the real impetus in our development has been the private enterprise motive. in fact, you could argue that war has become another tool for private enterprise to make a buck.