Progressive Technologies

EQ 3/6/2017  What is the most important invention in history? In your lifetime? Why is it so important?

Electricity Widespread use of electrical power meant that factories could operate around the clock, producing huge numbers of cheap consumer goods It also meant that new electric appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and dishwashers, were in demand for use in wealthier homes

Refrigeration Electricity also ushered in the age of refrigeration Allowed food to be preserved longer Fewer diseases from consuming spoiled food (esp. meat)

Henry Ford 1863 – 1947 Originally worked for Thomas Edison, but left after Edison dismissed automobiles as a “fad” Built his first car in 1896 Founded Ford Motor Company in 1903 Sold over 15,000,000 Model T’s between 1908 and 1927

Ford’s Model T "I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one—and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces." ------------------------Henry Ford

Assembly Line Ford trained each worker to do one specific job; this led to greater efficiency Cars moved down the line from worker to worker having individual parts added along the way This led to faster production and greater production volume, thus lowering the cost of Fords

$5 per day wage Ford also saw his workers as potential customers, wanted them to be able to buy cars themselves Offered the unheard of pay of $5 per day (as a minimum wage – some workers made more!), forcing wages to rise across US

Wilbur Wright 1867 – 1912 Ohio bicycle mechanic Developed a series of gliders over the period of 1899-1902 Finally built first successful airplane in 1903 Died of typhoid fever 10

Orville Wright 1871 – 1948 Ohio bicycle mechanic Developed a series of gliders over the period of 1899-1902 Finally built first successful airplane in 1903 Died of heart attack 11

Charles Lindbergh 1902 – 1974 Rose to fame by becoming the first man to fly a non-stop solo trip across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 in his plane Spirit of St. Louis In many ways, he demonstrated the commercial practicality of the airplane

Airlines First commercial air travel in the US began in 1914 Didn’t become profitable until the 1920s when Ford began producing it Tri-Motor aircraft that could carry 12 passengers

Movies First “movie” was the 12-minute 1903 Edison film The Great Train Robbery Quickly became one of America’s favorite forms of cheap entertainment First “hit” movie was the 1915 film Birth of a Nation which earned over $10 million despite being over 3 hours long and portraying the KKK as heroes

Movie Theaters First purpose-built movie theater opened in New Orleans in 1896 – seated about 90 people and showed travel films Movie theaters quickly became a “must” for any town – thousands had opened by 1920s

Radio After 1913, technology allowed long-range radio transmissions 1926: National Broadcasting Company (NBC) formed 1928: Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) formed Radio programs became a staple of household entertainment; by 1929, 10 million radios were in use in the US

Ragtime Music that reflected the hectic pace of city life Scott Joplin (1867 – 1917) became known as the “King of Ragtime”

Mass Culture US cultural trends became national rather than local – what was fashionable in dress, music, food, books, etc. was now more consistent across the country

Consumer Goods Now available: Electric razors Disposable tissues Frozen foods Hair dye Washing machines Gas stoves Deodorant mouthwash

Coca-Cola Introduced in 1886 as a patent medicine Name came from its two primary ingredients: cocaine (from the coca plant) and caffeine (from the kola nut); cocaine dropped after 1903

Kodak Cameras George Eastman introduced the first camera for amateur use in 1885 and expanded the market in 1900 with the introduction of the “Brownie” box camera The key element was the development of cheap film to capture photographic images rather than the heavy, expensive glass plates that cameras had used