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June 7, 2005
Top 20 Engineering Breakthroughs
Life without engineered products would be a lot more treacherous, tedious and tiresome. For proof, check out the greatest engineering accomplishments and how they've altered our lives:
From the practical (those zippers do come in handy) to the life-saving (medical marvels such as the artificial heart), engineers have masterminded countless innovations. It's no question that they have improved and prolonged our lives. But it's easy to take their accomplishments for granted. So we thought we'd revisit the list below of the 20 engineering achievements that have had the greatest impact on quality of life in the 20th century. Released in 2000 by the National Academy of Engineering, many of the choices seem obvious but that just underlines how essential to our lives these breakthroughs have become:
1) Electrification
Thousands of engineers made this possible, developing fuel sources, power generating techniques and transmission grids. Today, vast networks of electricity power the developed world.
2) Automobile
Revolutionary manufacturing practices made cars more reliable and affordable to the masses, turning the automobile into the world's major mode of transportation and symbol of personal freedom.
3) Airplane
From the Wright Flyer to supersonic jets, engineering innovations have propelled the airplane's trajectory. This innovation has made the world accessible, spurring globalization.
4) Safe and Abundant Water
Engineering advances in water treatment, supply and distribution systems prevented the spread of waterborne diseases and thereby increased life expectancy.
5) Electronics
Thanks to engineers, electronics--from vacuum tubes to transistors to integrated circuits--continue to shrink in size and grow in power and efficiency. They underlie a myriad of innovations, from televisions to computers, that make modern life more convenient.
6) Radio and Television
These technologies have given us a window to other lives, different areas of the world and to dramatic events that have defined the course of history. They have transformed how the world receives information and entertainment.
7) Agricultural Mechanization
Farm machinery, including tractors and cultivators, have taken agricultural efficiency and productivity to a new level, leading to a vastly larger, safer and less costly food supply.
8) Computers
A defining symbol of 20th century technology, the computer has impacted businesses and lives on a global scale, eliminating many menial tasks, boosting productivity and enabling new functions.
9) Telephone
This invention has transformed the way the world communicates personally and in business. From switchboards to satellites, copper wire to fiber optics, party lines to the Internet, engineers continue to answer the call for innovation.
10) Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Dozens of engineering innovations underpin this breakthrough. Delivering much more than convenience, it extends the shelf life of food and medicines, protects electronics, and plays an important role in health care delivery.
11) Interstate Highways
The construction of 44,000 miles of U.S. highway in the 20th century is one of the most impressive achievements of that era, allowing the distribution of goods and personal mobility. Thousands of engineers are behind the roads, bridges and tunnels that join our communities.
12) Space Exploration
Our forays into outer space have vastly expanded humanity's horizons. Additionally, the space program has inspired 60,000 new products and services on Earth, including medical devices, sophisticated weather forecasting and wireless communications.
13) Internet
Developed through a series of engineering innovations, the Internet is now a global communications and information system of unparalleled access, redefining business practices, educational pursuits and personal communications.
14) Imaging Technologies
These innovations have afforded us amazing new views inside the human body--thereby revolutionizing medical diagnostics--and beyond, of our planet and distant galaxies.
15) Household Appliances
Relieving much of the labor of everyday tasks, these devices, including electric ranges, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and dryers, have allowed more people to work outside the home.
16) Health Technologies
The mass production of antibiotics and artificial implants have led to vast health improvements. Such engineered products--from artificial organs, replacement joints, imaging technologies and biomaterials--can be credited with improving the quality of life of millions.
17) Petroleum and Gas Technologies
While petrochemicals are utilized in products from aspirin to zippers, petroleum provides fuel for cars, homes and industries. Propelled by engineering breakthroughs in oil exploration and processing, petroleum products support modern life.
18) Laser and Fiber Optics
Their applications are wide and varied, including almost simultaneous worldwide communications, non-invasive surgery, and point-of-sale scanners.
19) Nuclear Technologies
From splitting the atom, we gained a new source of electric power and new capabilities in medical research and imaging. While controversial, the engineering work that went into the creation of nuclear technologies remains one of the most significant achievements of the previous century.
20) High-Performance Materials
Engineers have customized and enhanced properties, creating higher quality, lighter, stronger, and more adaptable materials for thousands of applications, including aircraft, medical devices, and computers.
What breakthroughs do you foresee for the next 100 years?
(Note to IMT readers who may notice that some of the achievements, such as the automobile and the telephone, were invented in the 1800s: these innovations made the list because their impact was felt on the 20th century).
Source:
National Academy of Engineering
www.greatachievements.org/greatachievements/index.html
Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century is a collaborative project led by the National Academy of Engineering, with the American Association of Engineering Societies, National Engineers Week, and 29 engineering societies.
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38 CommentsGOD BLESS AMERICA for MOST of these innovations!
June 7, 2005 12:31 PMA lot of railway technology stems from the 19th century (and a lot of it isn't American), but I believe it merits a place in Top Engineering Achievements. And we can't be certain whether or not engineering will keep automobiles as the dominant form of transportation. The value of land could dictate a return of rail transport as the dominant mode of transport in most cities, and for inter-city freight.
June 7, 2005 1:22 PMOf all the many inventions of the past century, the lowly transistor is probably the one with the greatest impact. Looking over the list of 20 Greatest Breakthroughs, the transistor is involved in each of them today. Granted the transistor may not have been part of the original breakthrough, but through its application, these engineering marvels have truly taken off and benefited humanity beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
June 7, 2005 1:59 PMRailroads & Ships.
Most of these marvels arrive by these two methods
June 7, 2005 3:12 PMThe fax machine should me mentioned under the telephone. It's how we "instantly" communicated printed material before the Internet.
Another overlooked invention is the photocopier. Some old timers can remember what life was like before it became commonplace in the office.
June 7, 2005 3:13 PMThe engineering design process and resulting utility is absolutely vital to humanity's betterment and survival. May I add that the "Builder" of many of these inventions/creations is basically a self-taught engineer. Enlightened creativity occurs in the building process that goes beyond the desk-bound engineers vision. The ultimate improvements occur when the builders harmoniously synchronize with the engineering science. The engineer who also builds may be the ultimate creator for our societies.
June 7, 2005 3:34 PMPerhaps the greatest invention of all time was the wheel.
June 7, 2005 4:38 PMI sold a pot rack to a customer in Hawaii. I work out of a small shop by myself in South Texas. I was able to market my product on the internet with the aid of a digital camera, a computer and the telephone lines. Internet market places are great inventions. There are some important limitations that need fixing but for now it keeps the free market system rolling.
June 7, 2005 8:09 PMHow about word processing? With word processing, we have allowed many of the other inventions and innovations to be disseminated at a speed beyond calculating. The typewriter revolutionized correspondence. Now, word processing devices of all kinds has speeded up everything past anything imaginable over the past 50 years.
June 8, 2005 10:18 AMThe Airplane is listed No. 3 and with it came ROVs. Who would have thought (and why did it take so long) that a radio controlled model plane would lead to Mars, the Ocean floors, shipwrecks,Tsunami cracks and Ocean volcanos. Information and resources from ROVs will spur the great economic boom in the next 100 years! How about a micro ROV to remove plaque from blood vessels before you need the stents! Where would Radio and TV have stopped if not for Satelites. (ROV)
June 9, 2005 10:36 AMGod Bless Scotland for most of these Inovations
June 9, 2005 12:00 PMI think one that was missed on the list (partly covered under agricultural mechanization and refrigeration) is the whole area of food preservation technology. The technology in this area is almost as important to society as water treatment systems. We now have shelf-stable and instant products created by engineering expertise bringing great time saving convenience that were not even dreamed of 100 years ago.
June 9, 2005 4:59 PMThe incandescent lamp was seen by most people as the second greatest invention, behind the telephone, and it has been followed by LED's, and a dozen other light sources. Incidentally, the same engineer who invented the light bulb also invented the motion picture projector, that allowed us to see the world in "real live action", and it created one of the largest industries in the world!
June 10, 2005 6:48 PMMost of these items were developed by engineers, but a great majority were the dream children of inventors and or research scientists. This is not to say that engineers can't be inventors or research scientists, but I'll bet if you really took a look at the people behind these things you'd find most didn't posess an engineering degree. Has anyone read the TommyKnockers? What about listing the 20 most devastating engineering accomplishements. We need a little perspective here folks before we all break our arms patting ourselves on our collective backs. It's not about how far we've come technologically these days, we're virtual dieties in that area, but about how far we've come as responsible, caring, compassionate, socially and ecologically aware beings. No amount of engineering can affect changes in those areas. Okay, enough of being a wet blanket, back to the terminals, that new weapons system is months behind schedule, and there's a war on don't you know?
June 13, 2005 6:26 AMmuy interesante favor enviar mas informacion y si se puede por favor en español
June 14, 2005 10:12 AMRFID-Look it up
June 14, 2005 4:01 PMWhat about a list of 20 topmost future inventions desired by humanity and scientific community? We are still using fossil fuel as our main source of energy which is only slightly better than burning wood by our ancestors.
June 14, 2005 11:20 PMUna respuesta para Jesus Alberto Gonzalez y para todos que quiren recibir informacion en espanol...en este momento solo ofrecemos en ingles, pero con mas interes de la comunidad Hispana, podriamos hacer un intento.
Se tiene que empezar de alguna manera, verdad?
God Bless SCOTLAND for most of these innovations
February 20, 2007 7:25 AM
