Born in the USA - 5 American Innovations that Changed The World

There is the telephone, Ford model T and even Social Media – United States of America have been pumping badass technology since the 18th century. Little do we know, there are many other inventions that changed the way we live today and were born and raised in the USA. Innovative concepts and head turning ideas have recently been linked to Scandinavia and the Nordics. So, let`s talk about the innovations that have shaped our modern world, coming from the “Land of Opportunities.”

Transistors

The first transistor was created in 1947 at Bell Labs, American research, and scientific development company. With the size of your iPod classic, Transistors are considered to be the father of all great technology. Without this invention, any other piece of electronic equipment would be impossible to create.

What does a transistor do?

A Transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor’s terminals controls the current through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a transistor can amplify a signal. Today, some transistors are packaged individually, but much more is found embedded in integrated circuits.

Importance

As mentioned, a transistor is considered to be the father of all bad-ass technology today and one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. It is a key component in all modern electronic devices. Why is it relevant for today`s fast paced world? It can easily be mass-produced using an automated process that achieves low-per-transistor cost.
So, thank you, John Bardeen, Walter Houser Brattain, and William Shockley for making our lives in 2017 easy and simply convenient.

Internet

There is another “thing” that made so many other discoveries possible. The network of networks. It was formally introduced with the Internet Protocol Suite of the National Science Foundation in 1982. funded by US government. The Internet now connects most of the 21st-century humanity. If it wasn’t for the internet, there would be no Social Media, Email, Skype and many people would have never found their soulmates on Tinder.

Click here to see live internet statistics!

Why did Mickey Mouse go to outer space? He was looking for Pluto. Mickey didn’t want to be alone so NASA sent him Voyager 1.
Jokes aside, Voyager 1 is one of the best American innovations as it has helped us understand what is actually happening in the outer Solar System. Launched on September 5th, 1977 as a part of the Voyager program, this spacecraft has been taking pictures and transmitting data back to NASA. Voyager 1 is now 11,5ish miles away from the Earth. On August 25th 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause to become the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space and study the interstellar medium.

Communication system

“The radio communication system of Voyager 1 was designed to be used up to and beyond the limits of the Solar system. The communication system includes a 3.7-meter (12 ft) diameter parabolic dish high gain antenna to send and receive radio waves via the three Deep Space Network stations on the Earth.The craft normally transmits data to Earth over Deep Space Network Channel 18, using a frequency of either 2.3 GHz or 8.4 GHz, while signals from Earth to Voyager are broadcast at 2.1 GHz.When Voyager 1 is unable to communicate directly with the Earth, its digital tape recorder (DTR) can record about 64 kilobytes of data for transmission at another time.Signals from Voyager 1 take over 19 hours to reach Earth.“
For approximately the next 8 years, the Voyager will be making measurements of interstellar material, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays along their trajectories.Voyager 1´s mission is expected to end in 2025, when there won’t be enough electric power to operate any of the instruments.

The hearing aid

The hearing aid is a valuable device for people who have hearing loss. It was invented in 1902 by Miller Reese Hutchinson, an inventor from Alabama. First electric hearing aid was called Akouphone and it used a carbon transmitter so that the hearing aid could be portable. The carbon transmitter was used to amplify sound by taking a weak signal and using electric current to make it a strong signal.

Facts about hearing aids

• • Before the electric hearing aid : First hearing aids were ear trumpets, created in the 17th century.
• • Processing : Every electronic hearing aid consists of a microphone, a loudspeaker, a battery and electronic circuitry. The electronic circuitry can come in three types, analog, digital and control circuitry.
• • In the USA, the cost of hearing aids is a tax-deductible medical expense for those who itemize medical deductions
• • The movement toward modern hearing aids began with the creation of the telephone, and the first electric hearing aid, the “akouphone,” was created about 1895 by Miller Reese Hutchison.

Chocolate chip cookies

If we talk about the inventions that changed our lives, well then obviously we need to mention the chocolate chip cookies. This invention is a classic because most of us have carved out a special place for the cookies since childhood. Making chocolate chip cookies isn’t really quantum physics but they never seem to turn out as good as they do in a professional bakery. They are made from flour, butter, brown sugar and sweet chocolate bits. There is a rumor going around that chocolate chip cookies were made by a mistake! That is actually very wrong. The chocolate chip cookie was invented deliberately by the American chef Ruth Graves Wakefield and chef Sue Brides in 1938. At that time she owned the Toll House Inn. The toll House was a restaurant that served the home cooked meals and people loved a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream. Keeping that in mind, she decided to offer them something different. That is when the Chocolate Chip Cookie came to life.

Click here for the link to the original, Ruth Graves`s recipe. You are welcome!

What drives American innovation?

American innovation is driven by risking failure, trying new things and picking up from the start when the things go south. Let’s look at the example of television broadcasting. TV Broadcasting blossomed for years. Then the cable TV arrived and took a significant market share. Then satellite was launched and stole some of cable’s share. Today, broadband entertainment is delivered to Americans by wireless networks. When a new business model succeeds, another one will come and conquer it shortly after. Americans take big pride in starting over and trying again.Secondly, an important factor that plays a humongous role is money. Historically looking, rich nations were always the first ones to reach future. You need money in order to get ahold of the advanced materials, instruments and human knowledge. USA has the money to invest and a mindset to keep on going.
Taking everything into consideration, we can thank America for many innovations, especially technological innovations that have shaped our modern world. The late 19th and early 20th century were America’s golden innovation days. There is nothing wrong with working hard, planting the seeds and then harvesting the goods. It`s actually quite smart.
So grab a chocolate chip cookie, connect your laptop to the internet and get more inspiration on innovative concepts. We have recently talked about the The innovative ways of Scandinavia and Nordic innovations bringing people together.