The twentieth century was a century like none before. The world has gone to places that inventors from centuries previous could not even dream of. Earlier inventor Leonardo DaVinci had some small inkling of the way that world was headed but even Leonardo could never have envisioned all the things that the 20th century brought us.
The life of the people in the 20th century was improved over the previous century by some of the inventions. Some of the inventions have helped us to get around easier, have access to better nutrition. Keep in touch and also to just have a better quality of life.
The century got off to a great start with the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk. The airline industry has never looked back. It went from a one man limited flight to being about to transport hundreds around the word. Traveling at the speed of sound has become a reality and we have sent men to the moon, who would have guessed it 200 years ago?
The neutron reactor has made the world a safer place and also a more dangerous place. It ended a war and we have yet to determine if it will cause a war or even end the world. In the hands of unstable governments this poses a very real danger to all mankind but it also provides electricity and power to many others, a very double edged and dangerous sword, is nuclear power.
The computer and the World Wide Web have perhaps caused the greatest changes of all and are still changing things into the 21th century. The world is now at your fingertips and you can check the news, the weather, email friends and purchase anything your heart desires with a few clicks of a mouse.
The cell phone has made being available to everyone, every minute of everyday possible. Whether this is a good invention or not is yet to be determined but it has changed how almost the entire world communicates.
The television is another invention that has positive and negative impacts on the world. It has made us a sedimentary society and is in some ways responsible for the epidemic of obesity in the United States in particular. Too many hours are spent watching TV and not enough outdoors enjoying playing and games.
There have been great advances in the medical field in the 20th century and from penicillin, insulin, the iron lung and articles heart transplants the inventions made have help to make people’s lives better and longer. It’s hard to imagine a world where a small infection could kill. The band aide that we all take for granted is also a 20th century invention.
For women, the invention of the bra, the zipper and the birth control pill have changed our lives. Not to mention the microwave, frozen food and the vacuum. It has been a great century and we can only guess what the inventions of the 21st century will do to help improve our lives.
