Impact of technology on society throughout the history

Humanity has gone through many changes in its history due to the understanding engineers had as to what society needed during their respective times. Over the years, much debate has been stirred as to which engineering breakthrough is truly the greatest. Albeit this is a nice barbershop debate to have, in reality all breakthroughs are special and unique in their own way, which is why engineers such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and many others should be appreciated for their individual brilliance rather than trying to compare each of their respective accomplishments. These engineers have changed society throughout times with their brilliant innovations and creative abilities. Their never say die mindset provided them with the reassurance they needed to say that anything could be done if they put their minds to it. The use of technology in our current society could not have been achieved had it not been for the progressions made in history regarding farming, hunting and gathering, electricity, transportation, communication progressions, the cyber world, coal and how oil is utilized.

Long before nourishment became available at supermarkets and in the frozen food aisles, it was procured through strenuous exertion and manual labor using hunting to obtain food during the times of the Neanderthals. The point of view centuries ago was about survival of the fittest due to the ever-growing need to sustain one’s tribe. To accomplish this feat, out of the box thinking was required to obtain their daily meals using the inventions of tools such as the spear, made by early Neanderthals, or the discovery and ability to utilize fire. These archaic engineers paved the way for future engineers to also try and come up with ideas that could make a difference to a family, tribe or community.

Farming was another method used by people for survival and is still used today. The difference from centuries ago contrasted with today is the various ingenuities used in our current society to allow the workers to feel a sense of ease during their work. Nourishment would be made using seeds and nurtured for months at a time to produce edible content, whereas nowadays farming techniques include using pesticides and chemicals to create the “ perfect” looking food. Examining farming from centuries ago as opposed to today, we see that many innovations are being applied that were created by engineers of the past, such as the invention of the tractor by John Froelichor or the use of the Stationary steam engine which was invented by James Watt. Innovators such as the men mentioned prior are the reason why we see such an astronomical amount of technology being used in the farming industry. Technology and farming are now co-linear due to diverse applications occurring in the field of farming.

Electricity is a form of energy that we all use, yet never care as to how past engineers were able to utilize and manipulate this energy form to aid them. Prior to using electricity, candles were used as the primary source of light. For someone to distinguish something in the dark back then, it required the use of fire to be able to maneuver in the dark. The process to simply see in the dark was grueling and therefore change needed to occur. Thomas Edison tweaked and played with the designs of the light bulb and was eventually able to get it to operate successfully. A power source was likewise required for lights to work. This implies that Thomas was also the prime originator of the electric grid which was first created in Manhattan in 1882. This grid was one of the most massive machines to have ever been built at the time. To make such a wonder required a considerable amount of mental ability and creativeness to trust that such a machine would ever turn into a possibility. These days we see electrical lines being connected to and out for instance, with no idea about how such a plan like an attachment was first initially made. To create such a phenomenon required a lot of brain power and creativity to believe that such a machine could ever become a possibility. Nowadays we see electrical cords being plugged in and out for instance, without any thought as to how such a design like a plug was first originally created.

Centuries ago, for people to have any marginally long-distance conversation, this required a boatload of time, a pen, and paper. Sending one letter to another country alone took a good month because you had to wait for a boat to be heading to that country to be able to have it delivered. Cellphones, intercoms, and other electronic gadgets were not around at that point. Trailblazers were required to produce a means of communication that would enhance their current ways. Europe and America got connected with the first intercontinental telegraph wire, which connected the United States and Great Britain. Later Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1885, it revolutionized the communicating industry with its engineering elegance and creativity that allowed such a masterpiece to first be created. His creation freed up others to start to produce better versions of his original device. The telephone was eventually followed by the cell phone which a large portion of the public uses today.

Travelling centuries ago used to be quite a hassle. Camels, Horses, or just walking could take hours at hand to get to places that nowadays can only take half an hour max. Nevertheless, travelling was a problem which needed to be addressed. Then came a famous engineer by the name of Giovanni Fontana, who in 1418 invented the bike after years of tinkering with the idea. This design had four wheels, but still created a sense of easiness when it came to travelling small distances away. Still, travelling far distances was still a problem. Karl Benz was of the mindset that he needed to produce something that could make the lives of everyone easier. That’s why in the 1880’s he invented the first automobile. Compared to the bike, this allowed for people to not have to put any effort in to get to places nearby. Yet the problem still arises as to how can a person travel for one city to another, or even one country to another. Then came the Wright brothers who were playing with the idea of air travel. They tried many different ideas and designs. These brothers were laughed at for trying to explore the air. This did not stop them and in 1903, they came up with the Wright Flyer which was the first machine to achieve sustained air time.

Gathering information, analyzing it, and deciding what parts to use and not use were all steps used decades ago to obtain knowledge and guidance. Now, due to the convenience of the internet, information is now at the touch of our fingertips and can be used to get data on virtually anything we are uncertain of. Robert E. Kahn and Vint Cerfwere the masterminds behind inventing what is known as the internet. The internet is now a tool that is used worldwide by billions of people around the world and has allowed for people to become better educated on situations they were previously uncertain of. Coil and oil are two non-renewable resources that have been used and are still being used today in our community to aid with help in powering planes, ships, vehicles, and so forth, or to simply provide us with electricity. Whatever the case may be, coal and oil are two extremely important resources that could not have become as valuable as it is today had it not been for the amazing tinkerers that played with and fathomed up ideas that could encompass the use of these resources. After all, oil for example is utilized so often that 34 billion barrels of oil are used on average per year in the world. This accounts for all cars, planes, ships and so forth that require oil to run. Without oil, majority of the world’s businesses and companies would go out of stock due to the high demand for oil. The same goes for coal due to the high demand for electricity in the world.

Humanity has gone through many changes in its history due to the understanding engineers had as to what society needed during their respective times. Over the years, much debate has been stirred as to which engineering breakthrough is truly the greatest. Although this is a nice barbershop debate to have, in reality all breakthroughs are special and unique in their own way, which is why engineers such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and many others should be appreciated for their individual brilliance rather than trying to compare each of their respective accomplishments. These engineers have changed society throughout times with their brilliant innovations and creative abilities. Their never say die mindset provided them with the reassurance they needed to say that anything could be done if they put their minds to it. The use of technology in our current society could not have been achieved had it not been for the progressions made in history regarding farming, hunting and gathering, electricity, transportation, communication progressions, the internet, coal and how oil is used.