4. The development of the automobile and the airplane (early 1900's)
Automobiles greatly increased
individual mobility and led to construction of high-speed highways,
the spread of urban populations into suburbs, and the development of
new techniques of industrial production and marketing on a huge scale.
The era of the airplane, launched by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903,
led to rapid passenger travel and shipment of goods around the globe.
The airplane also brought about a new form of warfare.
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Donald G. Marshall
is a Professor and
the Head of the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
His top 10 events of the 1900's reflect a general historical approach. Professor
Marshall emphasizes the impact of technology on the century and points out one
chilling effect : "The fear that humankind's highest scientific achievements will
destroy us becomes very real."
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