Through its inventions, the American nation has advanced technology significantly, making it a major global technological center. The development of the cotton gin was a significant invention. In addition to being a revolutionary invention, the cotton gin had negative impacts on the social structure of American society. In 1793, a man by the name of Eli Whitney created it. The purpose of this device was to make it simpler for those who processed cotton to quickly separate the seeds by turning the Cotton Gin's crank. As such, the time it took a hundred people to produce a certain amount of cotton, the Cotton Gin could only take an hour to do the same work.
The impact of the gin invented by Whitney
proved very efficient since it was mechanized and its mechanism of working worked well when used on the short-staple type of cotton. As such, the increased efficiency in production and reduced costs made the crop a new gold with many farmers clearing large tracts of land to plant more cotton. Together with it, slavery increased as more slaves were sent to the fields to plant and tend to the crop. By around 1830, cotton became synonymous as the American first global commodity with the cotton from the gin getting a boost in demand from New England to other European countries that had textile mills. In the same line, the invention of the gin made the South very wealthy and proved critical in progressing the industrial revolution in America. Another technology that had a significant impact on the lives of Americans is the invention of the telephone.
One historian described the telephone as superior to all other forms of communications due to the fact that one could travel about from place to place without them leaving their homes and also the mere fact that it provides the psychological characteristics of a human voice. The importance of this technology became evident in the daily lives of individuals and ease of communication despite worries about privacy.
The person credited with its invention is known as Alexander Graham Bell
who later went on to form his own company called the Bell Telephone Company. It was invented in 1876 when Bell and another inventor called Watson successfully relayed audible sound through the telephone with Bell’s vision of this technology pervading every household becoming a reality a decade later. The impact of the telephone on the American economy is evidenced by the fact that it led to the mushrooming of city centers, buildings with office space and engendered the concept of an urban worker.
Furthermore, it placed America as a technological invention nation by crediting it for having an innovator who eased modes of communication not only within the country itself but also on a global scale by opening up more avenues for businesses and making the world smaller. As such, this invention places America at the lead in a world changing inventions the invention of the telephone credited with the design of newer technologies like the internet and radiotelegraphy. Furthermore, this kind of creativity ensured that farmers in rural areas would no longer feel lonely in cases where a farm was deep inside in rural and isolated areas. The world has America to thank for this kind of technology that upon its foundations, today’s technologies are building on it and has made it possible for the creation of new industries and job opportunities on a global scale. The American automotive industry is famed for the variance in flashy and pioneering cars produced.
Also, it is not only known for the powerful engine type cars with shiny chromes but pack some practical vehicles that are part of the lot. The automobile industry proved a competitive one. Although the first automobile invention and testing happened in Germany and France in the periods around 1800, the American automotive sector rapidly made advances in the production of motor vehicles by completely dominating it during the first half of the twentieth century. One innovator known as Henry Ford employed mass-production techniques to his line of cars that would later serve as the standard when it came to production.
By the early 1920s, companies like Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors were referred to as the “Big Three” due to their dominance on the automobile market. The American culture and tradition of manufacturing that proved essential in the advancement of the industrial revolution would prove pivotal in that car companies would eventually adopt a system of production in larger volumes and at lower prices than that which existed at the time in Europe.
Moreover, there were no limitations like tariff barriers in trade between states which in turn led to the improvement and sale of cars over large geographical areas at affordable prices. The cheap raw materials that were present in the United States coupled with a shortage of much needed skilled labor promoted the modernization of industrial processes in America. American competitiveness as a technological nation became more enhanced through the outpacing of the Ford Motor Company of its competitors in combining modern and advanced design processes to their care production offered at moderate pricing. Also, Ford had made a commitment to manufacturing in large volumes which led to him coming up with highly innovative mass production methods which lowered the price of the Model T vehicle to around $575.
Steve Jobs is known for his innovations that revolutionized the digital and telecommunications sector in a significant way. His name is also found three hundred and forty-six times in the United States patents registry. One of his better known innovative products was the Macintosh. In 1984, he launched this product which was also known as the first computer that possessed and graphical user interface. The meaning of this is that the personal computer had an operating system coupled with windows and various icons with a mouse to navigate in between them. His visit to the Xerox research center is believed to stir this product to life.
Moreover, another significant innovation that Steve Jobs managed to come up with involved the topography on the screen. Previously, the image on the computers at that time only drew the same way as a typewriter did but with this innovation, a person could choose the font to use for text on the screen. The first Mac thus could exhibit this feature. Also, Jobs made additional innovative improvements to the mouse by coming up with a mouse that had no buttons and called it the “Mighty Mouse.”
Also, Steve Jobs put America on the map as a technologically advanced country with the launch of the iPod in 2001. The device proved revolutionary for the music sector due to its ample storage space of five gigabytes and possessed a simple user interface. As such, it gained rapid popularity worldwide. The features that carved a niche for the iPod in the digital market is the fact that it combined stylistic elements with the music management software of Apple which made it easier to use. Last but not least, another innovative product from Steve Jobs is the iPhone which launched to consumers in the year 2007. The device set itself as a dominant and revolutionizing phone device in the market as it rode on the wave of the iPod and its popularity became evident by the fact that within thirty hours of its availability, it had already sold close to two hundred and seventy thousand units.
The fifth American innovation involves the Wright brothers who made the first famous flight in 1908. It is an invention credited for easing movement of people and goods over long distances without the need to use land or water. As such, it revolutionized transport and how wars were fought. Despite the advances in mass production by European countries during the world wars, America stamped its authority on the airline industry with the advent of the Boeing 247 airliner which based its design off the B-9 bomber. As such, further advances in the design of aircraft addressed safety and comfort in air travel. During the period from 1940 to 1945, the total number of military planes produced by America came to about three hundred thousand seven hundred and eighteen. As such, the American aviation industry took the lead as the world’s largest by the year 1943 regarding people it employed, over one million, and also with regards to the production capacity.
The boost in production involved some help from automobile firms that fanned the increased production. Business principles used included the disaggregation of aircraft parts to smaller subcontractors, managing of distributed manufacturing and employed the concept of the learning curve to help in making forecasts of future impending cost reductions. As such, the next half century became dominated by the American aviation industry as it is evidenced right now by big significant airlines like the American, Delta and United airlines. To conclude, America has proved a pioneer of world-changing technology and continues to do so in many respects because the most prominent technology companies situated in the United States.
