KEY IDEA246 i
CHAPTER
29 Technological Developments
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary:The period since 1900 was one of rapid technological devel-
opments. From new medical discoveries to more sophisticated military
technology to improvements in transportation, technology dominated the
twentieth and twenty-fi rst centuries. Labor-saving devices in the household
increased leisure time, and new forms of mass entertainment fi lled that lei-
sure time. The space race increased Cold War tensions as the development
of nuclear weapons raised new uncertainties.Key Terms
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)* International Space Station*
Helsinki Accords* service industries*
Hubble Space Telescope SputnikWorld War Firsts
World War I was the fi rst confl ict in which several new types of technology were used for
the fi rst time. Airplanes were used in combat. Dirigibles, tanks, more sophisticated weaponry,
and poison gas also made their debut during the fi rst world war. Radio technology was
used during World War I for communication purposes. After the war, radio was extended
to commercial and private use. In 1920, the fi rst commercial radio broadcast was aired in
Philadelphia. By 1930, millions of U.S. citizens owned radios, which they used to listen to
news, sportscasts, and serials (soap operas). Government control of the airwaves in Europe
made radio ownership less common on that continent.
World War II and the dropping of the atomic bomb ushered in a new scientifi c age. The
second world war also added jet engines, tape recordings, and radar to its list of fi rsts.