20th Century Technology

20th Century Technology

1. TECHNOLOGY IN TWENTIETH CENTURY Kumar Nalinaksh 75771 Master of Management (Business Management) Wyzsza Szkola Menedzerska W Warszawie [email protected]

2. 20 th Century 2 The 20th century began on January 1, 1901 , and ended on December 31, 2000 . It was the tenth and final century of the 2nd millennium. Figure 1 : World Map of 20 th Century

3. Index The growth and sustenance of technology in the twentieth century can be explored by going through following topics: - 20 th Century The American Century The Two World Wars Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century 3

4. It is convenient to separate the years before 1945 from those that followed. The years 1900 to 1945 were dominated by the two World Wars , while those since 1945 were preoccupied by the need to avoid another major war . The dividing point is the detonation of the first atomic bomb  at Alamogordo, New Mexico, in July 1945 . 4 20 th Century Figure 2 : Depiction of 20 th Century

5. The American Century 20th century is regarded the as “the American century”. This was based upon tremendous exploitation of natural resources for securing an increased productivity via widespread industrialization. Technological leadership passed from Britain and the European nations to the United States in the course of the two world wars. Many important inventions of the 20th century originated in Europe. United States had the capacity to assimilate their innovations and take full advantage from them at times when European countries were deficient the vital social resources to convert into a commercial success. 5 Figure 3 : Map of talent distribution in 20 th Century United States of America

6. The Two World Wars They were most important instruments of technological as well as political change in the 20th century. World War I was a chemists’ war due to immense importance of high explosives and poison gas. The wars hastened the transformation from “little science” to “big science”. Large research teams were sponsored by governments and corporations, working collectively on the development and application of new techniques. 6 Figure 4 : Depiction of world war leaders.

7. Car is one of the most revolutionary developments of the century. Its origins lie in the combustion engine, a 19th-century invention whose overall impact was not fully exploited until Henry Ford devised a system of mass production for the Model T in 1908. After the introduction of division of labor and the assembly-line system, affordable cars were churned out, leading to dramatic changes in society. Mass transportation linked people together by joining rural areas to urban centers, and is a primary contributor to the world economy. Ford's assembly line was later made more efficient with the use of robots, machines that could mimic human tasks. 7 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Automobile Figure 05 : First Automobile

8. Although its technology existed before the turn of the century, the radio didn't take off as a communications medium until the 1920s. It give rise to live news and entertainment programs. The radio acted as a galvanizing force during World War II, and it continues today to play a vital role in disseminating information. New portable, battery-less radios operated by cranking a small handle on the side to generate electricity allow anyone in the world to listen in, helping make the radio probably the most accessible communications device on the planet. 8 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Radio Figure 06 : First Radio

9. While televisions weren't widely owned until the 1950s, the basic technology was invented earlier in the century as scientists tested the properties of vacuum tubes. It probably had the most impact of any communications device during the 20th century. Just three households had TV in 1928 when television broadcasting made its debut; by the end of the century the world had around 1 billion sets. Not only does it entertain, but it has radically transformed how we gather our news and information, bringing viewers closer to events as they happen. 9 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Television Figure 07 : First television

10. The transistor gave birth to the digital age. It led to development of personal computer, the CD player, the fax machine and countless other devices. Developed in 1947, the transistor replaced hot, bulky vacuum tubes, and was the precursor of the now ubiquitous semiconductors and silicon chips embedded in the compact appliances we commonly use. By 1958 the first integrated circuit — a cluster of transistors on a single silicon chip — was created, heralding the age of modern computing. 10 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Transistor Figure 08 : First Transistor

11. Laser technology (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) was invented in 1960 by American physicist Theodore H. Maiman . It was generated from solid crystals, liquids or gases. In the medical field, lasers replaced the scalpel in certain types of surgery. Supermarket scanners used them to read bar codes. CD players were invented due to them. Lasers have also changed the face of modern warfare; laser-guided missiles and bombs represent the most accurate means of targeting, thus making warfare more efficient and preventing loss of innocent life. 11 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Laser Figure 09 : First Laser

12. Electric refrigerator was developed in the 1920s. By pumping a special fluid that vaporizes at low temperatures through a system of pipes, the "fridge" became an indispensable household item. It could store foods safely for longer periods. 12 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Electric Refrigeration Figure 10 : First Electric Fridge

13. Early computers were bulky, tube-powered behemoths. Microprocessor were developed by Intel in 1971. Computers became smaller, easier to use and increasingly affordable. Combined with user-friendly operating systems such as Microsoft's Windows or Apple's operating system, the PC has become a dominant tool in the global economy and a mainstay appliance in a growing number of homes. 13 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Personal Computer Figure 11 : First Personal Computer

14. Pioneered in 1901 when Guglielmo Marconi transmitted a Morse code signal across the Atlantic. Wireless communications occur when electromagnetic waves are broadcast to a receiving station. Today, cell phones, pagers and satellites enable people to communicate, spy on our enemies, track the weather and circumnavigate the globe with greater precision and ease. 14 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Wireless Technology Figure 12 : Guglielmo Marconi

15. The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union gave a peaceful outlet to the political and military tensions of the Cold War, leading to the first human spaceflight with the Soviet Union's Vostok 1 mission in 1961, and man's first landing on another world—the Moon—with America's Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Later, the first space station was launched by the Soviet space program. The United States developed the first reusable spacecraft system with the Space Shuttle program, first launched in 1981. As the century ended, a permanent manned presence in space was being founded with the ongoing construction of the International Space Station. 15 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Manned Spaceflight Figure 13 : First manned space flight

16. The Wright Brothers' first-ever flight of a motorized airplane in 1903 spawned the age of flight and much of its attendant technology. The jet engine, supersonic flight, fighter aircraft, advanced avionics and space travel all spawned from their success. Their legacy is a smaller world and a larger global economy. 16 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Airplane Figure 14 : First air flight

17. Introduced in the 1930s as a system to detect aircraft and surface vessels from far away or in poor weather conditions, radar ("radio detecting and ranging"). It helped the Allies win World War II. It is one of the greatest contributors to air safety. By bouncing radio waves off moving vessels, ground stations can detect the position of objects in the sky or on the ground. An ingenious spin-off was "stealth technology," which makes objects impervious to radar signals. Modern fighter jets are coated with a material that absorbs radar signals, making the plane "invisible" to radar screens. 17 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Radar Figure 15 :

18. Originally designed as an adhesive. Magnetic tape first recorded sound in the 1920s. The reel-to-reel recorder was born in the 1950s, leading to audio cassettes and portable cassette player. Sony Walkman was released in 1979 debut. Images could also be recorded on magnetic tape, whose legacy includes the handycam and VCR. 18 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Magnetic Tape Figure 16 : Fritz Pfleumer

19. In 1908, Belgian inventor Leo Baekeland created Bakelite. The first plastic was used originally as an alternative to ivory billiard balls. Plastics are light, durable and colorful. It quickly became a $260 billion industry. Used to make phones, keyboards, credit cards, Tupperware etc. Led to development of neoprene, Plexiglas, nylon, Teflon and bulletproof Kevlar. 19 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Plastics Figure 17 : Leo Baekeland creating Bakelite

20. Willis Carrier invented the air conditioner in 1902. It allowed workers to labor in greater comfort and kept homes cool. By the 1950s, air conditioners provided relief in cars and trucks. Disadvantage: The Earth's ozone layer has thinned due to the chlorofluorocarbon gases used in them. 20 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Air Conditioning Figure 18 : First Air Conditioner

21. Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), were introduced in 1969. It allowed people to make cash withdrawals and deposits day or night. 21 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Automatic Teller Machines Figure 19 : First ATM

22. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity and the discovery of how to split the atom led to development of Atomic Bomb in 1945. Robert Oppenheimer, “father of the atomic bomb.” July 16, 1945, in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, New Mexico, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated—the Trinity Test. Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed modern warfare. Nuclear fission is now used to generate electricity and power submarines and aircraft carriers. 22 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Atomic Bomb Figure 20 : Trinity Test

23. The capacity for a computer to perform humanlike intellectual processes. Edward Condon displays Nimatron , a digital computer that played Nim perfectly in 1940. Alan Turing proposes the Turing Test as a measure of machine intelligence in 1950. IBM's Deep Blue defeated the world's best chess player, demonstrating the computer's ability to interpret data logically, reason and make decisions. A.I. is also being used to assist doctors in making medical diagnoses. 23 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Artificial Intelligence Figure 21 : Nimatron

24. Image transmission through tubes was demonstrated independently by the radio experimenter Clarence Hansell and the television pioneer John Logie Baird in the 1920s. In the 1930s, Heinrich Lamm showed that one could transmit images through a bundle of unclad optical fibers. Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany at Imperial College in London achieved image transmission through a 75 cm long bundle which combined several thousand fibers in 1953 and coined the term fiber optics in 1960. 24 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Fiber Optics Figure 22 : Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany

25. Electrostatics process was developed in 1938 by Chester Carlson. Light is exposed onto a charged metal plate, which is then dusted with a powder that picks up an image, and then the image is transferred to paper electrostatically. In 1947, the Haloid Company (later named Xerox) bought the rights to Carlson's xerography process, and 11 years later, the first Xerox office copier was born, becoming standard equipment in offices worldwide. 25 Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Xerography Figure 23 : Chester Carlson Xerography

26. Notable inventions and progress made in 20 th century Internet The Net was created in 1969 for defense-related research and known as ARPANet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). A global network of computers. Affected how we gather information, conduct business and go about our everyday affairs. World Wide Web was created in 1989. 26 Figure 24 : Growth of ARPANet

27. Summary 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 were invented and developed to create an unparalleled social situation, full of possibilities and dangers. The two World Wars were the most important instruments of technological as well as political change in the 20th century. 27

28. References The 20th and 21st centuries. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-technology/The-20th-and-21st-centuries 20th century in science. (2018, February 6). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century_in_science 20th century technology - Photo essays. (n.d.). TIME.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2026224,00.html 28

29. The End! In case of any further queries or concerns feel free to reach out at [email protected] 29