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What Are the Most Important Inventions of the 20th Century?
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The Airplane
Not only have they made travel quick and safe, but aircraft provide many other services as well: from crop dusting and fighting forest fires to overnight delivery of packages and chasing hurricanes. They have also revolutionized warfare, turning battle into a long-range affair fought at arm’s length by machines of such sophistication that the way wars are fought has completely changed. -
The Automobile
It changed everything; overnight the horse and buggy became quaint anachronisms while much of the country was paved over to make room for endless ribbons of asphalt. It also brought about a revolution in the market place, suddenly making it possible to truck in goods that otherwise would be impossible to acquire. -
Radio
Not only did it suddenly make it possible for a person to be heard from hundreds or even thousands of miles away without the use of a wire, but it was the center of family life through the end of the Second World War and into the doldrums of the fifties, when it was gradually replaced by that new-fangled contraption, the television. -
Rocketry
They became controllable, which suddenly made them useful both as weapons of war and, even more vitally, as our means of accessing outer space. Rockets also place satellites into orbit around our planet, so without them we also wouldn’t be able to use GPS, predict the weather, make international calls or, for the most part, even use our cell phones much of the time. -
Antibiotics
Once penicillin and later a whole range of other antibiotics came on the scene, however, death due to bacterial infection became rare, resulting in a greatly reduced mortality rate and much longer life-span. It also rendered many scourges of the past from small pox and typhoid to gonorrhea and syphilis obsolete or, at least in the case of venereal disease, something easily treatable. -
Television
It was the babysitter, news source, teacher, entertainer, and storyteller of society. When in competent hands, television can be helpful at times. For the most part, though, he filled our days with laziness and all kinds of stupid and unsavory commercials. Worse still, most of us would have no idea what to do with our time without it, which is probably the saddest comment of all. -
The Submarine
What started as an irritating, but still deadly, weapon in World War One grew into a monstrosity in World War Two- sinking more than any other type of weapon used. -
Nuclear Power
Energy source that did not pollute, was efficient and practically unlimited. Unfortunately, it was a two-edged sword in that this same energy source could be used to create the most destructive weapons in history, threatening human survival with its very presence. -
The Internet
It allowed the truth to flow in and out of repressive countries, foment revolutions and spread lies at the speed of light. It also gave anyone the ability to buy and sell just about anything imaginable, find and torment old school buddies, watch the latest YouTube videos, and even find their perfect life partner. Oh, and you could also get some useful information if you wanted. -
The Personal Computer
We used them to keep track of our finances, write books, design logos, and sell real estate. In addition, they were rapidly replacing the stereo and television in their ability to entertain us with music, movies, and games.