Technological Progress

By Xavier Sala-i-Martin

Columbia University

Ancient World

1,000,000 B.C.

Patterned tools360,000 B.C. Camp fire9,000 B.C.

Agriculture

6500  B.C. Wheel3500 B.C.

Fixed Wheels on Carts (Chariots)

(first wheeled vehicles in history)

Riverboats

2600 B.C.Abacus

2000 B.C.

Horses are domesticated

(and used for transportation)1700 B.C.Windmills1450  B.C.Sundial

700 B.C.Musical notationGunpowder184 B.C.Early books100 B.C.Astronomical calculator180

Wheelbarrow

700Block printing

770

Iron Horeshoe

Medieval

1335

First public clock1455First Gutenberg Bible 1485Leonardo DaVinci designs the first parachute1495First  bomb 

1500-1700

1514

First bullet1590Compound microscope1609Galileo's Telescope1621First blast furnace1650First air pump1656Pendulum clock

1700-19001700Steam boilers1760Benjamin Franklin invents the bifocal lens1765Steam engine1796Inoculation/vaccination1800First suspension bridge1801First electric arc lamp1804Steam-powered locomotive1819Stethoscope1837Telegraph1839Daguerreotype cameraVulcanized Rubber

1846Sewing Machine1860Pasteurization 1867Dynamite (Alfred Nobel)1876Thomas Edison 's incandescent bulbAlexander Graham Bell invents the telephone1877Edison 's gramophone and phonograph 1885Benz's automobile1886Coca Cola1888Eastman's  camera 1893Edison's "movies" 1895X-Rays1899Tape recorder

1900-19491900

Zeppelin

Escalator

1901

Vacuum Cleaner

Assembly Line

Radio

1903 Wright's aeroplanes1904Ice Cream Cone

Radar1905

Theory of Relativity (Einstein)

Popsicle

1907

Paper Towels

1912

Shopping Bag

1913

Henry Ford: Auto Mass Production

1917

Christmas Lights

1920

Band-Aid

Traffic Lights

Hair Drier

1923Hearing aid1924 Liquid fueled rocket1926Warner Bros' Sound Movies1927TelevisionPez1928 First differential analyzing computerBubble GumYo-yo1932Electron Microscope1935Ballpoint Pen1938MonopolyNylon Stockings

1940Modern Helicopters1942Nuclear ReactorDuct Tape1944Blood Banks1945Microwave OvenTupperwareAtomic Bomb1946Disposable DiapersThe Bikini1947TransistorHolographyInstant PhotographyFirst Supersonic FlightKitty Litter1948ScrabbleVelcro1949LEGO

1950-19701950Credit Card Frisbee1951Business CalculatorLiquid PaperSuperglue1952Mr. Potato HeadDiet Soft DrinkHydrogen Bomb1953Black Box (airplanes)Radial Tires1954Milk CartonOral ContraceptivesNon Stick PanSolar CellMcDonald’s1955Fiber opticsTV Remote Control1956 Computer Hard DiskScotch Guard

1965Hand Held CalculatorAstroturfSoft Contact LensesCompact DiscNutrasweet1966Electronic Fuel Injection1968Computer MouseMicroprocessorRAM (Random Access Memory)1969First Man on Moon (Apollo XI)Arpaned (first internet)Artificial HeartATM 1970Bar Code ScannersLiquid Crystal Display (LCD)Floppy DiskFirst Jumbo jet (Boeing 747)

1957Soviets send Sputnik to SpaceFortranAluminum Cans for Soft Drinks1958Integrated CircuitHula HoopModem1959MicrochipInternal PacemakerBarbie Doll1960LaserHalogen Lamp1961Valium1962AudiocassetteSilicon Breast Implants“SpaceWar” (first computer game)1963Videodisc1964Acrylic PaintBASIC

1971-19951971KevlarDot matrix printerfood processorVCR1972Compact discWord Processor1973Ethernet (local computer network)Disposable Lighter (BIC)Gene Splicing1974Post It NotesRubik’s CubeLiposuction1975Betamax and VHSLaser Printer 1976Ink Jet Printer1977Apple personal computerPC ModemMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

1978VisiCalc (First Spreadsheet)Jarvik-7 (artificial heart)1979Cel.lular PhonesCray SupercomputerWalkmanRoller Blades1980Hepatitis-B vaccine1981MS-DOSIBM-Personal ComputerSpace Shuttle1982Human Growth Hormone geneticallyEngineered1983Soft Bifocal LensesCabbage Patch KidsVirtual Reality1984CD RomApple Macintosh1985Microsoft Windows

1986High Temperature SuperconductorSynthetic SkinDisposable Camera (Fuji)19873-D video gamesDisposable Contact Lenses1988Digital Cellular PhonesDopple RadarProzacRU-486 (abortion pill)1989High Definition TV1990HTML and HTTP Protocol (WWW)1991Digital Answering Machines1992Smart Pill1993Pentium1994HIV Inhibitors1995Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)JAVA

1996-2000

1996

Web TV

1997

Gas Powered Fuel Cells

Teletubbies

1998

Viagra

2000

Dolly the cloned sheep

History of LightLighting Power Per Unit of Energy

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

Campf ire(Australopithecus 1,4 m

bc)

Animal Fat Lamp(Paleolithic 42,000 bc)

Sesame Oil Lamp(Babylonians 1,750 bc)

Candles (Greeks,Romans I bc)

Whale Oil Lamps(1,800)

Kerosene Lamps(Petroleum PA, 1,859)

Electric Carbon Lamps(Edison, 1,882)

Fluorescent Bulb(1,992)

Per Hour of Work

• With ONE HOUR OF WORK– We can purchase 840,000 time more light

than the australopithecus– We can purchase 45,000 times more light

than the XVIII man

• Inventions that lower the price of things matter a lot!!