Technological Developments h 247The Postwar Period
Technology assisted Europe in its recovery from the world wars. New equipment and
improved seeds increased agricultural yields, while modern industrial equipment increased
production of textiles and metal goods, including automobiles and appliances.
In the 1950s, scientifi c technology led British and U.S. scientists to discover the com-
position of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Scientifi c farming based on genetics led to
further improvements in seeds and pesticides. Genetic research produced the fi rst incident
of animal cloning (a cloned sheep) in Scotland in 1997.
Medical treatments and sanitation improved. New drugs, such as penicillin (discov-
ered in 1928), as well as immunizations against diphtheria and poliomyelitis lowered the
death rate. X-rays, ultrasound, and imaging assisted medical diagnoses. Indoor plumbing
improved sanitation.
In 1949, the Soviet Union developed its own atomic bomb. From that time until the
1980s, both the United States (1952) and the Soviet Union (1953) built hydrogen bombs
and developed ever more sophisticated weapons of war and defense. In 1972, as a result
of the nuclear arms race, European countries convened a conference on security issues in
Helsinki, Finland. In 1975, the Helsinki Accords called for contacts between nations on
both sides of the Iron Curtain and also addressed the issue of human rights.The Space Age
The twentieth century saw the exploration of new horizons in space. In 1957, the Soviet
Union launched Sputnik, the fi rst satellite, and in 1961 sent the fi rst manned fl ight into
space. The United States soon followed in the space race, succeeding in landing astronauts
on the moon in 1969. In the 1970s, the United States and the Soviet Union cooperated
in docking spacecraft and later cooperated in work on the International Space Station.
Cooperation between the United States and European nations led to the development in
199 0 of t he Hubble Space Telescope, which is capable of observing objects in remote areas
of the universe. U.S. orbiter landings on Mars have provided opportunities for investigation
of potential landing sites on the Red Planet.Entertainment Technology
The fi lm industry created new opportunities for entertainment, especially after the addi-
tion of sound in the late 1920s. By the early 1950s, television had begun to enter many
homes in the West. In the 1970s the entertainment industry born in Hollywood was sur-
passed by Bollywood, the name given to the fi lm industry based in Mumbai, India. Since
the 1970s India has ranked as the world’s largest fi lm producer.Technology in the Information Age
As the world’s societies entered the twenty-fi rst century, more and more of the world’s
citizens were linked by computer technology, cellular phones, video games, and electronic
readers. Robots, fi rst used in Japan and adopted in Europe for use in mines and thehttp://www.ebook3000.com