From Past To Present Essay Research Paper

In this new age of development we take simple things like a telephone, a

refrigerator, or a car, all for granted. We live in a world of luxuries and

comforts compared to the average person in the 19th century.

Lets say you were born prior to 1945. Just stop and consider the changes you

might have witnessed. You were before television, before penicillin, frozen

foods, Xerox copiers, contact lenses, and the Pill. You were before radar,

credit cards, split atoms, ball point pens, dishwashers, air conditioners, and

before man walked on the Moon. You never heard of F.M. radio, tape decks,

electric typewriters, artificial hearts, yoghurt and blokes with earrings! In

the 1940’s, Made in Japan meant JUNK, and the term making out referred to how

you did in an exam. Pizzas, Instant Coffee and McDonalds weren’t heard of. In

your day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, grass was something you mowed, Coke

was a cold drink, Aids were people who helped others and pot was a name for

something you cooked in. People made do with what they didn?t have!

Today?s world is growing ever dependant on technology. The telephone for example

is something we all take for granted. Every house is expected to have one and if

we find there is no phone, we seem to think that it is abnormal. The question,

however is, why is the telephone the cornerstone of modern life?

The telephone allows us nearly instant connections – between friends, families,

businesses, and nations – enable communications that enhance our lives,

industries, and economies. Truly, the telephone has brought the human family

together. With remarkable innovations, engineers have brought us from copper

wire to fibre optics, from switchboards to satellites, and then the Internet.

Initially a tool to link research centre computers, the Internet has become a

vital instrument of social change. The Internet is changing business practices,

educational pursuits, and personal communications. By providing global access to

news, commerce, and vast stores of information. The Internet brings us together

and adds convenience and efficiency to our lives.

The radio and television were the major agents of social change in the 20th

century, opening windows to other lives, to remote areas of the world, and to

history in the making. From the wireless telegraph to today’s advanced satellite

systems, engineers have developed remarkable technologies that inform and

entertain millions every day.

Not only has human ingenuity brought us tools to communicate with, it also has

provided us with transport. From horse-drawn carts to cars, steam engines to

electric trains and canoes to the luxury liners of today. Today you can go from

Europe to America in 4 hours on the Concorde. In 1900, the same trip took 7 to

10 days by boat. However, the motorcar is one of man?s finest creations. The

automobile may be the ultimate symbol of personal freedom. It’s also the world’s

major transporter of people and goods, and a strong source of economic growth

and stability. From early Tin Lizzies to today’s sleek sedans, the automobile is

a showcase of 20th century engineering ingenuity, with countless innovations

made in design, production, and safety.

Have you ever thought how water has changed your life? How often does society

take water for granted? Today, a simple turn of the tap provides clean water – a

precious resource. Engineering advances in managing this resource have come

leaps and bounds and introduced water treatment, supply, and distribution

systems. This has changed life profoundly in the 20th century, virtually

eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations, and providing clean and

abundant water for communities, farms, and industries.

Yet all this technology cannot help us from the pollution and destruction we

cause to our planet. Computers can only standby as global warming takes an

effect, forests get cut down and the sea polluted. But ironically humans are

able to create such, such great things but are unable to save our world.