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Mobile Phone
Mobile/ Hand held phone: Allows for communication over far distances. Unlike regular telephones, the mobile phone is hand held and can be used on the go. Not only can you talk to people, but also newer models allow for email, internet, gaming, Bluetooth, and other accessories all in one device. This technology has made communication easy, and allows for many different services to be used at the same time with the same device. The mobile phone has become a large part in approximately 4.6 billion -
Computer Chip
The idea for an integrated circuit was first come up with in 1952 and the first one was built successfully in 1958. Innovations have continued to this day, like fitting more and more transistors on a single chip. These devices are essentially really small circuits built on silicon chips, made up of many different transistors, resistors and capacitors (basically parts of a circuit). They send a signal that means either a 0 (low signal) or a 1 (high signal), which is how computers send information -
Nuclear Power
1954 brought with one of the most substantial and important technological advances of the Modern Era, Nuclear power. The first nuclear reactor was invented in 1942, however the first nuclear power plant started generating electricity in 1954. Nuclear power is so important because of its unbelievably sustainable energy production, one reactor of uranium will have a half life of around 30,000 years. Not only does nuclear energy last long, but the amount of energy it produces is incredible. A nucle -
Microwave
The microwave oven was created in 1955, by a self-taught engineer named Percy Spencer. The Microwave oven is used to heat things up in a short amount of time. Percy Spencer discovered the microwave oven because one day he found that his chocolate bar had melted in his pocket, and from then on he realised that heat was able to melt certain types of foods. Percy Spencer decided to test this experiment to see if it would work with another type of food. Because of this discover, the microwave is now -
Laptop
The lab top is a portable computer that is very common today and can be used when traveling and in many other places. The laptop uses a rechargeable battery and is lighter than a normal computer. The idea of the laptops began in 1968 when it was thought up by Alan Kay, who went on to create the Dynabook, which was the first laptop. The laptop began to evolve in the 1980’s and laptops where becoming lighter, light the Osborne 1, which was 23.6 pounds, which was impressive at the time, but laptops -
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was the third Apollo mission to be launched towards the Moon on April 11, 1970 at 1:13 pm. James A. Lovell was the Commander, John L. “Jack” Swigert was the Command Module Pilot and Fred W. Haise was the Lunar Module Pilot. The craft was successfully launched but there was an oxygen tank that was damaged during the takeoff. Two days later, an explosion was heard of. Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water and the critical need to ju -
MRI Machine
MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. The MRI machine was invented in 1973. The MRI is a medical imaging technique that shows an image of the body’s internal structure. MRI machines create these images by giving off radio wave energy, causing a rotating magnetic field. The machines sense the magnetic fields and are able to photograph the structures and organs within the body. The MRI was invented by Raymond Damadian, he did not invent the technology used in the MRI, but he was the first to -
GPS
GPS is a space based global navigation system that provides reliable location at all times. The GPS system was first invented in 1978. A GPS receiver calculates its position by precisely timing the signals sent by GPS satellites high above the Earth. Each satellite continually transmits messages that include the time the message was transmitted, precise orbital information, and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites. There are several different kinds of GPS, marine appl -
Motorolla Phone
A man named Martin Cooper, who was a Motorola researcher and executive, created the first cell phone in 1973. Motorola released the first commercial cell phone in 1983. In 1990, 12.4 million people worldwide had cell phones. This number grew to 4.6 billion by the end of 2009. The cell phone made it possible for people to go about their daily lives without having to worry about being home (or office etc) to take/ make a call. It has created so many opportunities and has freed up time to do other -
DNA Fingerprinting
Created in 1984 by Alec Jeffrey’s. He created a database that could detect differences between DNA. Even though all human DNA is 99.9% the same, this new technique is able to detect the small difference. DNA Fingerprinting has now become an essential part of solving crimes and proving if someone is innocent or guilty. The process is that it takes two different samples of DNA and compares them to see if they are the same or different. -
Internet
The Internet was first commissioned in the 60’s by the U.S. Government as a way of communication through military bases. It was introduced to the public in the early to mid 90’s for public use. The Internet was then modified to be used in different ways. It began to be used for social networking and games for entertainment. It is now one of the most used services known to man and over one fourth of the world’s population is known to use it. -
Hybrid Car
The hybrid car is one of the most influential inventions of the past 50 years. First developed in 1997, the hybrid car combines a gas-powered engine with an electrically powered one. The first hybrid car released was the Toyota Prius in Japan. The aim is to increase efficiency while also minimizing CO2 emissions that damage the environment. The cars effectively increase gas mileage while reducing contribution to the greenhouse effect. Hybrid cars run longer on a single tank of gas than normal ca -
MP3
Saehan, a Korean company, introduced the MP3 player in 1998. It has advanced society because now, mainly because of Apple’s iPod, the CD industry has almost been entirely eliminated. Now people can have thousands of songs in one small device, which can be carried in their pockets at all times. Because of this, the MP3 player has had a both positive, and negative influence on society as by creating a new market, it drew an end to another. -
iPod
It has not only revolutionized how people listen to music, the new Ipods have the ability to do so much more than the original ones. The Ipod Was launched in 2001 when Apples CEO, Steve Jobs, decided to enter the hand held devices market. MP3 players of the time were lacking in features, and had a poor interface. Jobs’s Version of the MP3 player featured a sleek interface, and a device that was incredibly advanced for its time. The IPod has gone through many incarnations over the years, and has -
Remote Control
The first remote control was called the lazy bones and was created by the Zenith radio Corporation in 1950. However it was not wireless it was connected to the TV. The next remote created used a laser that you shine onto a photoelectric cell. Remote controls with more than channel and volume controls were invented in the 1970s. These are the remotes with numbers one through nine on them; these use a high frequency sound to change the channel, this sound cannot be heard by humans but can be heard
