Science

New inventions appeared practiclly overnight throughout the Twentieth Century, continuously simplifying the general American population's lives. These new ideas, innovations, and improvements are still being built upon today, and are results of these early breakthroughs.





1900-1925 1926-1950 1951-1975 1976-2000 Back to Main











1900-1925



1900- Paul Ehrlich originated the treatment of diseases with chemicals. This early discovery led to the gigantic pharmaceutical industry we know today.



1903- The first ice cream cone invented, thus aiding Americans in gaining their reputation of being overweight and unhealthy.

Also in 1903, the Wright Brother's plane, the Flyer, made its first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This major breakthrough changed the world through travel, trade, and warfare.



1904- Novacaine invented.



1905- German physicist Albert Einstien showed that light may be regarded as consisting of individual energy units, now called "photons." That same year, Einstien published his theory of relativity, which challenged other scientists' current ways of thinking.


1912- Invention of the machine gun, changing the way wars were faught.



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1926-1950



1927- First television transmission.



1928- Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic. Also in 1928, sliced bread.



1937- The German airship, the Hindenburg explodes, putting an end to travel by zeppelins.




1945- The atomic bomb was invented and used by the United States in attacks against Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World War II.



October 14, 1947 - While flying the X-1 over California, test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier.



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1951-1975



1951- Hydrogen bomb invented.



1953- Jonas Salk produced the first effective polio vaccine, putting an end to the devastating disease.



1957- USSR launched the first artificial sattelite, Sputnik. Velcro was also invented in this year.



1960- The laser is invented.



1969- Astronauts of the US Apollo 11, led by Neil Armstrong, became the first human beings to walk on the moon.



1971- E-mail invented.



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1976-2000



1981- AIDS virus discovered.



1983- Microsoft Windows invented. HIV discovered to cause AIDS.


June 18, 1983 - Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a mission specialist on the space shuttle Challenger.



1991- The World Wide Web invented.



1997- Viagra invented. Also, the cloning of Dolly, the sheep. Both of these raised questions and discussion amongst the American population.



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