Technology of the Modern World Medical technology which started with better sanitary practices in the 19th century was expanded by the use of new medicines and new equipment These developments nearly doubled the life span of a person living in an industrialized country compared to 100 years earlier New technologies in biology led to genetic engineering in which living cells can be altered In weaponry there was the invention of the tank the perfection of the airplane and finally the use of the atomic bomb These changed warfare from what had been primar ily an encounter between military personnel to putting all peoples of the world at risk Technology keeps advancing at a rapid rate It can only be guessed what will follow the information revolution that began in the late 20th century Communications took a major step forward with the development of the Internet in the 1970s Powerful microchips led to smaller and more affordable computers The invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 and its introduc tion to the world at large in 1991 represented a major shift in how information was exchanged For the next quarter century communica tions continued to evolve Faster smaller and more powerful computer processors led to the 10
INTRODUCTION introduction of portable devices such as smart phones and wearable technology Wireless networks made these advances possible Rising fossil fuel prices and concerns about global warming in the first decade of the 21st century led to an increased interest in develop ing renewable fuel sources Steps were taken to modernize power grids and increase fuel effi ciency Solar and wind energy became more significant contributors to the power supply as companies invested in improving existing technology Electric cars and hybrid vehicles became a reality after years of development Human ingenuity continues to drive new innovations and the development of even more advanced technology as people strive to find new ways to solve problems or make life eas ier First be sure a thing is wanted or needed then go ahead the great inventor Thomas Edison once advised Technology of the Modern World offers a brief but insightful glance at some of the most remarkable advances of the last century 11
1 r e t p a h C TECHNOLOGY FROM 1900 TO 1945 R ecent history is notoriously difficult to write because of the mass of material and the problem of distinguishing the sig nificant from the insignificant among events that have virtually the power of contemporary experience In respect to the recent history of technology however one fact stands out clearly Despite the immense achievements of technology by 1900 the following decades witnessed more advance over a wide range of activities than the whole of previously recorded history The airplane the rocket and interplanetary probes electronics atomic power antibiotics insecticides and a host of new materials have all been invented and developed to create an unparalleled social situ ation full of possibilities and dangers which would have been virtually unimaginable before the 20th century 12
TECHNOLOGY FROM 1900 TO 1945 In venturing to interpret the events of the previous century it will be convenient to sep arate the years before 1945 from those that followed The years 1900 to 1945 were domi nated by the two world wars while those since 1945 were preoccupied by the need to avoid another major war The dividing point is one of outstanding social and technological signifi cance the detonation of the first atomic bomb at Alamogordo N M in July 1945 There were profound political changes in the 20th century related to technological capacity and leadership It may be an exag geration to regard the 20th century as the American century but the rise of the United States as a superstate was sufficiently rapid and dramatic to excuse the hyperbole It was a rise based upon tremendous natural resources exploited to secure increased productivity through widespread industrialization and the success of the United States in achieving this objective was tested and demonstrated in the two world wars Technological leader ship passed from Britain and the European nations to the United States in the course of these wars This is not to say that the springs of innovation went dry in Europe Many impor tant inventions of the 20th century originated there But it was the United States that had the capacity to assimilate innovations and take 13
