Periodization:

Technological

Innovation1940-1979

By: Sophia Roces

Period of Military Innovations

(1940-1945)

A large percentage of the American technological innovations during this period were military inventions, influenced by U.S. participation in World War 2 from 1941-1945.

Jeep(1940)

Invented by Karl K. Pabst of the Bantam Car Company

Built with specifications for use in WWII, later used as domestic transportation

M1 Bazooka(1942)

Invented by Edward G. Uhl and Colonel Leslie Skinner

Built to shoot explosive warheads at armored cars, bunkers and bunkers

Atomic Bomb(1945)

Invented by the team of J.R. Oppenheimer, Arthur Compton, Enrico Fermi, and Léo Szilard in the Manhattan Project

Incorporated the discoveries of the atomic reaction from 1942 to create a nuclear weapon of mass destruction

Period of Medical Innovations

(1953-1957)

A great deal of medical advancements were made during this period in particular, as a result of the plentiful medical research developments that were ongoing in 1950s America.

Heart-Lung Machine(1953)

Dr. John H. Gibbon Jr. & his wife, Mary, successfully construct a functional heart-lung machine

Enables patients’ circulation while the surgeon operates on the still heart

Gamma Camera(1957)

Invented by H.O. Anger

Using gamma radiation in the technique of scintigraphy, the camera enabled doctors to see images from within the patient’s body without invasive methods

Oral Polio Vaccine(1957)

Developed by Albert Sabin

Dramatically reduced the cases of polio just ten years after its development, when the disease previously affected thousands of children

Period of Outer Space Innovations

(1958-1969)

American efforts to develop outer space technology was at an all-time high during this period, as it coincided with the Cold War Space Race between the U.S. and Russia, which lasted from 1955-1972. The Space Race was essentially a competition to see which nation could develop superior space technology.

Explorer I(1958)

Designed and constructed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology

United States’ first satellite to follow the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, launched during the International Geophysical Year

Geosynchronous Satellite (Syncom II)

(1963)

Developed by Harold Rosen

Underwent a successful launch and established an orbit, whereupon it worked as an international telephone link

Landing on the Moon(1969)

Accomplished by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

Aboard the Apollo 11, these astronauts were the first men to set foot on and explore the moon

Period of Computer Innovations

(1965-1976)

The immense technological progress of the mid-20th century demanded that computer hardware be kept up to date. This period saw the development and design of new computer technology that increased in efficiency and decreased in size.

Minicomputer (PDP-8)(1965)

Constructed by Digital Equipment Corp.

First computer that was sold on a comparatively large scale; used integrated circuit technology

Intel 4004(1971)

Designed by Intel

First 4-bit single-chip CPU microprocessor; used in calculators, begun the downsizing of technology

Supercomputer (Cray-1)(1976)

Designed by Seymour Cray

Capable of performing 240 million calculations/second