1955_TV REMOTE CONTROL
It marks the official end of humanity's
struggle for survival and the beginning of its quest for a really relaxing
afternoon. The first wireless remote, designed by Zenith's Eugene Polley, is essentially
a flashlight. When Zenith discovers that direct sunlight also can change
channels on the remote-receptive TVs, the company comes out with a model that
uses ultrasound; it lasts into the 1980s, to the chagrin of many a family dog.
The industry then switches to infrared.
1955_MICROWAVE OVEN
In
1945 Raytheon's Percy Spencer stands in front of a magnetron (the power tube of
radar) and feels a candy bar start to melt in his pocket: He is intrigued. When
he places popcorn kernels in front of the magnetron, the kernels explode all
over the lab. Ten years later Spencer patents a "radar range" that
cooks with high-frequency radio waves; that same year, the Tappan Stove Co.
introduces the first home microwave model.
1957_BIRTH-CONTROL
PILL
Enovid, a drug the
FDA approves for menstrual disorders, comes with a warning: The mixture of
synthetic progesterone and estrogen also prevents ovulation. Two years later,
more than half a million American women are taking Enovid—and not all of them
have cramps. In 1960 the FDA approves Enovid for use as the first oral
contraceptive.
1958_JET AIRLINER
The Boeing 707-120
debuts as the world's first successful commercial jet airliner, ushering in the
era of accessible mass air travel. The four-engine plane carries 181 passengers
and cruises at 600 mph for up to 5280 miles on a full tank. The first commercial
jet flight takes off from New York and lands in Paris; domestic service soon
connects New York and Los Angeles.
1959_FLOAT GLASS
There's
a reason old windowpanes distort everything: They were made by rapidly
squeezing a sheet of red-hot glass between two hot rollers, which produced a
cheap but uneven pane. British engineer Alastair Pilkington revolutionizes the
process by floating molten glass on a bath of molten tin—by nature, completely
flat. The first factory to produce usable float glass opens in 1959; an
estimated 90 percent of plate glass is still produced this way.
1961_CORDLESS TOOLS
Black and Decker
releases its first cordless drill, but designers can't coax more than 20 watts
from its NiCd batteries. Instead, they strive for efficiency, modifying gear
ratios and using better materials. The revolutionary result puts new power in
the hands of DIYers and—thanks to a NASA contract—the gloves of astronauts.
1961_INDUSTRIAL
ROBOT
The Unimate, the
first programmable industrial robot, is installed on a General Motors assembly
line in New Jersey. Conceived by George C. Devol Jr. to move and fetch things,
the invention gets a lukewarm reception in the United States. Japanese
manufacturers love it and, after licensing the design in 1968, go on to
dominate the global market for industrial robots.
1962_COMMUNICATIONS
SATELLITE
Telstar is launched
as the first "active" communications satellite—active as in
amplifying and retransmitting incoming signals, rather than passively bouncing
them back to Earth. Telstar makes real a 1945 concept by science fiction author
Arthur C. Clarke, who envisioned a global communications network based on
geosynchronous satellites. Two weeks after Telstar's debut, President Kennedy
holds a press conference in Washington, D.C., that is broadcast live across the
Atlantic.
1962_LED
Working as a
consultant for General Electric, Nick Holonyak develops the light-emitting
diode (LED), which provides a simple and inexpensive way for computers to
convey information. From their humble beginnings in portable calculators, LEDs
spread from the red light that indicates coffee is brewing to the 290-ft.-tall
Reuters billboard in Times Square.
1964_UNMANNED AERIAL
VEHICLES
Widespread use of
remotely piloted aircraft begins during the Vietnam War with deployment of 1000
AQM-34 Ryan Firebees. The first model of these 29-ft.-long planes was developed
in just 90 days in 1962. AQM-34s go on to fly more than 34,000 surveillance
missions. Their success leads to the eventual development of the Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles widely used today.
1962_VIDEO
GAMES
MIT programmers write Spacewar; 43 years later
89 percent of school-age kids own video games.
1955_POLIO
VACCINE
The year Jonas Salk finds a way to prevent polio, there
are 28,985 global cases; by 2005, the number drops to 1200.
1957_THREE-POINT
SEATBELT
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more
than 15,000 American lives are saved in 2005 by Nils Bohlin's device.
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