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1440
Gutenberg's Printing Press
Next to the invention of the wheel, Gutenberg's Printing Press is likely the most impactful invention in all of history. The printing press enabled the rapid circulation of information and the world-wide growth of knowledge which would have been otherwise impossible. The Enlightenment likely would never have occurred and centers of higher learning would be immeasurably more expensive and exclusive. -
First Typewriter Patented
Although the first patented typewriter was not commercially successful, it paved the way for future improvements and the eventual global adoption of the typewriter. For my family, the typewriter bears significant value for another reason other than its utility. My Grandpa was transferred to the Naval Academy during WWII to type museum labels. While stationed there, he attended a USO dance and vowed to dance with the first girl who walked onto the dance floor. That girl was my Grandma. -
1939 World's Fair
My Grandfather attended the 1939 World's Fair as part of his senior high school trip. Each time my Grandpa recounts his experience at the fair, he still gets an air of excitement in his voice. I still wonder to what impact visiting this legendary exposition had on my Grandfather. He was later involved with installing the first computer at Burlington Industries, which at it's height was the world's largest textile manufacturer. -
The Mother of All Demos
Douglas Engelbart was arguably the brainchild behind the GUI (graphical user interface) design present in today's personal computers. At his legendary presentation during the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference, he demonstrated his invention of the mouse, how "windows" might be used, and videoconferencing. Surprisingly, before his exhibition, Engelbart was widely viewed as a "crackpot." Since then, he has been described as "Moses parting the Red Sea." -
Man Walks on the Moon
My mother still gets an excited gleam in her eye when she recounts watching man walk on the Moon for the first time in history. However, this event bears significance for me not only due to my family's personal connection to the event, but also due to the technological developments that were birthed from the space program such as advancements in: firefighting gear, human protheses, computer software, and much more. -
Sources 1
"The 1939-40 New York World's Fair: A Window into 20th-century American Life." Treasures of The New York Public Library. The New York Public Library, n.d. Web. 29 May 2017. "Great Quotes by Doug Engelbart and Others." Collective IQ Review. Collective IQ Review, 3 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 May 2017. Hitt, David. "Who Was Neil Armstrong?" NASA. NASA, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 May 2017. "The Mother of All Demos." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 May 2017. Web. 29 May 2017. -
Sources 2
"NASA Technologies Benefit Our Lives." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 29 May 2017. "Printing Press." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 May 2017. Web. 29 May 2017. Tweney, Dylan. "Dec. 9, 1968: The Mother of All Demos." Wired. Conde Nast, 09 Dec. 2010. Web. 29 May 2017. "Typewriter." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 May 2017. Web. 29 May 2017.
