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After the war, the 1950s was a period of economicprosperity, high employment and great technological development. Mass production came around, therefore machinary becamse affordable and so did the products that they produced. This meant cars were a lot more affordable.
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The huge growth in car ownership changed the look of Australian suburbs. Houses were built with garages and carports, roads were built.
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Ralph Teeter, a blind man, senses by ear that cars on the Pennsylvania Turnpike travel at uneven speeds, which he believes leads to accidents. Through the 1940s he develops a cruise control mechanism that a driver can set to hold the car at a steady speed. Unpopular when generally introduced in the 1950s, cruise control is now standard on more than 70 percent of today’s automobiles.
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Computers started to be sold commercially
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Automakers begin efforts to reduce harmful emissions, starting with the introduction of positive crankcase ventilation in 1963. PCV valves route gases back to the cylinders for further combustion. With the introduction of catalytic converters in the 1970s, hydrocarbon emissions are reduced 95 percent by the end of the century compared to emissions in 1967.
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An electronic fuel injection system is developed in Britain. Fuel injection delivers carefully controlled fuel and air to the cylinders to keep a car’s engine running at its most efficient.
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ARPANET DEVELOPED
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Airbags, introduced in some models in the 1970s, become standard in more cars. Originally installed only on the driver's side, they begin to appear on the front passenger side as well.
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Apple develops the first computer to be used at home
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Microsoft begins the friendly war with Apple
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Cadillac is the first American carmaker to offer automatic stability control, increasing safety in emergency handling situations.
