The twentieth century has transformed the lives of people. Of course, the development of mankind has never stopped, and in every century there have been important scientific inventions, but truly revolutionary changes, and even on a large scale, have occurred not so long ago. What discoveries of the twentieth century turned out to be the most significant?
Aviation
Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright entered the history of mankind as the first pilots. Last but not least, the great discoveries of the 20th century are new modes of transport. Orville Wright managed to make a controlled flight in 1903. The aircraft, developed by him with his brother, lasted only 12 seconds in the air, but it was a real breakthrough for aviation of those times. The flight date is considered the birthday of this mode of transport. The Wright brothers were the first to design a system that would twist the wing consoles with cables, allowing them to control the machine. In 1901, a wind tunnel was also created. They also invented the propeller. By 1904, the world saw a new model of the aircraft, more advanced and capable of not only flying, but also to perform maneuvers. In 1905, the third option appeared, which could remain in the air for about thirty minutes. Two years later, the brothers signed a contract with the US Army, and later the French bought the plane. Many began to think about transporting passengers, and Wright made the necessary amendments to their model by installing an additional seat and making the engine more powerful. So the beginning of the 20th century opened up completely new opportunities for humanity.
Roentgen
Like many great discoveries of the 20th century, this was partly done back in the 19th, but then people did not succeed immediately. For example, x-rays were first used in 1885. Then Wilhelm Roentgen discovered that photographic plates are obscured by a special spectrum, and when the parts of the body are irradiated, an image of the skeleton can be obtained. Nevertheless, he had to work 15 years in order to study organs and tissues became possible. That is why the beginning of the 20th century is associated with the name “X-ray”: earlier it was not known to the general public. By 1919, many hospitals had already used this technique. The advent of x-rays has changed the development of medicine: new branches of diagnostics and analysis have appeared in it. To date, the device has saved millions of lives. So in cases where outstanding scientists are mentioned, it is worth calling Wilhelm Roentgen.
TV
Scientific and technological inventions transformed the life of the twentieth century. One of the key events was the emergence of a new way of disseminating information - television. In 1907, he was patented by the Russian physicist Boris Rosing. He used a cathode ray tube for this . A photocell was used to convert the signals. By 1912, he had finalized his invention, and already in 1931 the method of broadcasting in color was first proposed. In 1939, the first television channel began to function. In 1944, the modern standard of television was created. Perhaps other discoveries of scientists of the 20th century were more significant in the scientific plan, but the effect of this novelty on people's lives cannot be denied. Broadcasting has changed the way we communicate and transformed people's perceptions.
Mobile phone
Now it seems almost impossible to imagine life without a smartphone. Nevertheless , they appeared recently. Scientific inventions allowed people to talk on the phone, but wireless was invented only in 1973. Martin Cooper, the creator of the cell phone, was able to call the office from the streets of Manhattan. Ten years later, mobile phones became available to a wide range of customers. The first Motorola cost almost four thousand dollars, but the idea impressed the Americans so much that people signed up for a purchase. Moreover, the device was not much like a modern smartphone: the handset was simply huge, weighed almost a kilogram, and on the tiny display you could see only the number you dialed. The charge lasted for half an hour. Nevertheless, the mass production of various models soon began, and with each generation of phones, people were waiting for new interesting discoveries. Today, a completely small device is a real miniature computer with many features that the creators of the Motorola Cellular did not even think about in 1973.
the Internet
Not all discoveries of the last century are used by people every day. But the invention of the Internet has transformed life even in small things, today it is used in almost every country in the world. This is a tool for communication, information retrieval, data exchange. This is a universal source of communication. Therefore, listing the great discoveries of the 20th century, one should not forget about the Internet. It is believed that the first steps in this direction were made by Dr. Liklider, a scientist who led the US military information exchange project. So the Arpanet network was created, with the help of which in 1969 there was a transfer of data from the University of Los Angeles to the laboratory of Utah. The beginning was laid, and in 1972 the Internet was presented to the public. The concept of email has appeared. The invention of the Internet became known throughout the world, and after a few years, thousands of people used it. By the end of the twentieth century, there were already twenty million of them.
A computer
The great discoveries of the 20th century are most often associated with technological progress. No exception and the computer. If we mean by this word an arithmetic machine, then similar mechanisms have existed since the seventeenth century. But the device in the modern sense appeared only in the twentieth. In 1927, an analog computer was created ; it was developed in America. By the middle of the century, an electronic device appeared. The car was created Mark I - the first real computer. After that, progress went at a record pace. The method of data storage has changed from punch cards to floppy disks, and then to compact disks and drives. Programming languages have also changed. The first computer was suitable only for performing algebraic operations, and modern devices are a multifunctional device suitable for a variety of tasks.
Instant noodles
Listing the great discoveries of the 20th century, one should not forget that at first glance it seems a trifle. Instant noodles are a common household product, but its appearance changed the food situation in the absence of a kitchen or in the workplace and was also a major achievement. Japanese Ando Momofuki invented this type of pasta. Post-war Japan needed food, and affordable food without special cooking difficulties would clearly fix the situation. So Ando decided to start looking for special noodles. He tried many cooking methods until he came across a yeast-free batter that was perfect for drying. In 1958, he began production of his noodles, and today more than forty billion servings of such a product are consumed annually. Another discovery of Ando Momofuki was the use of special plastic cups that would make it possible to prepare a quick dish without dishes.
Penicillin
Many prominent scientists of the 20th century are associated with the exact sciences, but there has also been a major breakthrough in medicine. It was in this century that penicillin appeared, a medicine that saved the lives of millions. The Englishman Alexander Fleming invented it , in 1928 he discovered the effects of mold on bacteria. Interestingly, the great discoveries of the 20th century might not have been supplemented by the advent of antibiotics. All of Fleming's colleagues believed that the main thing was not the fight against microbes, but the strengthening of immunity. Antibiotics seemed meaningless and remained unclaimed a couple of years after their creation. Only by 1943, the medicine began to be widely used in medical institutions. Fleming did not abandon the study of microbes and not only improved penicillin, but also created several paintings using his discovery, painting bacteria with a special substance.
Ball pen
Studying scientific and technical inventions, you can forget about small household improvements that are of great importance. For example, the ballpoint pen familiar to everyone appeared only in 1943. It was invented by Laszlo Biro, who watched the process of printing newspapers and wondered why not fill the pen reservoir with the same quick-drying ink. They should be thick. So that they do not clog the hole in the handle, a ball should be placed there. After thinking about all this, Biro created a prototype. Having emigrated to Argentina, he found a sponsor and began the production of ink pens. The first buyers were pilots who could use them at altitude: an ordinary pen flowed in the absence of pressure. In 1953, the Frenchman Marcel Bic transformed the shape of an ink pen and was able to create cheap options that became available to anyone and conquered the whole world.
Washer
Another invention that has significantly improved life helps most people cope with dirty clothes. The washing machine appeared only in 1947, replacing the laundresses at the post. For the first time such an invention was proposed on the American market by two firms - General Electric and Bendix Corporation. The cars were noisy and uncomfortable, only the functionality mattered. The Whirlpool developers, who created a new version of the washing machine in the mid-twentieth century, decided to change the situation. It was covered with plastic linings to reduce noise, the models could be made in different colors, and the overall design solution became much more elegant. Since then, the washing machine has become a very aesthetic object. In the Soviet Union, the first such device appeared in 1975 and was called the Volga-10, but only the Vyatka-Avtomat-12, which began to be produced in 1981, became the most successful. Modern machines can be built-in and with a drying function, they have different boot methods, displays, delayed start by timer and are even able to connect to the Internet.