Science
The Cold War was a time of battle for technological leadership between the United States and the USSR. After the Soviet Union launched Earth’s first satellite “Sputnik” the U.S. was threatened by their military power which led to heavy research and new advancements in the field of science and technology in order to regain their world power. Among the advancements was the creation of NASA to further America into space age leadership, and the development of the Hydrogen Super bomb to feel safe for war. In addition, scientific research was greatly funded leading to the Salk vaccine for the ongoing Polio epidemic as well as the very first images of the double helix structure of DNA. These discoveries greatly proved America's world dominance as well as paved the way for modern science and technology.
HYDROGEN BOMB
The decision to go forth with the production of the “Super Bomb” was one that drastically altered the course of the Cold War. There were two separate tests held in the early 1950’s called operation IVY and operation CASTLE. The former was strictly for experimental testing and the latter was to test the design for military purposes. Bravo became the first weaponized hydrogen bomb and the largest ever dropped by the United States, yielding almost 15 Megatons and was made out of Lithium and Deuteride. The energy in a Super is created from the fusion of atoms exactly the same way as in stars meaning that there is tremendous power in these processes. Ultimately President Truman agreed with the development in order to maintain America’s military strength against the USSR, who were also working on their own nuclear weapons. Although there was originally controversy to create the monstrous weapon, the power it gave to the United States ultimately helped secure their dominance and give hope to the people in their time of fear.
"It is part of my responsibility as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or superbomb. Like all other work in the field of atomic weapons, it is being and will be carried forward on a basis consistent with the over-all objectives of our program for peace and security." - President Truman on his decision to proceed with development of the Superbomb.
The decision to go forth with the production of the “Super Bomb” was one that drastically altered the course of the Cold War. There were two separate tests held in the early 1950’s called operation IVY and operation CASTLE. The former was strictly for experimental testing and the latter was to test the design for military purposes. Bravo became the first weaponized hydrogen bomb and the largest ever dropped by the United States, yielding almost 15 Megatons and was made out of Lithium and Deuteride. The energy in a Super is created from the fusion of atoms exactly the same way as in stars meaning that there is tremendous power in these processes. Ultimately President Truman agreed with the development in order to maintain America’s military strength against the USSR, who were also working on their own nuclear weapons. Although there was originally controversy to create the monstrous weapon, the power it gave to the United States ultimately helped secure their dominance and give hope to the people in their time of fear.
"It is part of my responsibility as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or superbomb. Like all other work in the field of atomic weapons, it is being and will be carried forward on a basis consistent with the over-all objectives of our program for peace and security." - President Truman on his decision to proceed with development of the Superbomb.
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MASER
Another competition between the United States and Russia was the rush to create the world’s first LASER. In 1954 both countries independently developed the MASER which stands for “Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission Radiation” which is an acronym describing the exact mechanism of the device. The significance of the maser is not only that it paved the way for the later development of the laser which is the most intense light on Earth, but because it emits photons at a certain wavelength that allows for a more focused, coherent light than what the world previously had access to. This intense light allows us to visualize microscopic molecules; a huge advancement for science and medicine. In America, the maser was created by Charles Townes who continued his research and later became a co-developer of the laser which gave him a Nobel Prize in the 1960’s.
Another competition between the United States and Russia was the rush to create the world’s first LASER. In 1954 both countries independently developed the MASER which stands for “Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission Radiation” which is an acronym describing the exact mechanism of the device. The significance of the maser is not only that it paved the way for the later development of the laser which is the most intense light on Earth, but because it emits photons at a certain wavelength that allows for a more focused, coherent light than what the world previously had access to. This intense light allows us to visualize microscopic molecules; a huge advancement for science and medicine. In America, the maser was created by Charles Townes who continued his research and later became a co-developer of the laser which gave him a Nobel Prize in the 1960’s.
POLIO
The 1950’s was a time of tremendous boom in the field of science and medicine. The most prestigious outcome of this time period was the production of the Salk vaccine for the polio virus that infected, crippled, and killed thousands of children during its epidemic. By 1953 the incidence of polio had increased to 20 for every 100,000 people. This disease mostly infected children aged 5-9 most likely due to its form of transmission which is through the fecal-oral route. Although that sounds extremely disgusting, it’s not as uncommon as one might think. The disease was most prevalent during the summer months which led to the discovery that public swimming pools were the transmitting culprit. As a result of diseases and their ease of transmission we now chlorinate our pools because of its toxicity to a lot of viruses and bacteria. March of Dimes was a major campaign to cure and prevent this horrible paralytic disease, with support from famous people such as Elvis Presley. Finally, in 1955 enough funding and research led to the vaccine created by John Salk using dead virus particles in animal cell cultures.
The 1950’s was a time of tremendous boom in the field of science and medicine. The most prestigious outcome of this time period was the production of the Salk vaccine for the polio virus that infected, crippled, and killed thousands of children during its epidemic. By 1953 the incidence of polio had increased to 20 for every 100,000 people. This disease mostly infected children aged 5-9 most likely due to its form of transmission which is through the fecal-oral route. Although that sounds extremely disgusting, it’s not as uncommon as one might think. The disease was most prevalent during the summer months which led to the discovery that public swimming pools were the transmitting culprit. As a result of diseases and their ease of transmission we now chlorinate our pools because of its toxicity to a lot of viruses and bacteria. March of Dimes was a major campaign to cure and prevent this horrible paralytic disease, with support from famous people such as Elvis Presley. Finally, in 1955 enough funding and research led to the vaccine created by John Salk using dead virus particles in animal cell cultures.
DNA
April 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick published their most famous scientific paper that contained the newly discovered structure of the DNA double helical molecule. To add to their work, Rosalinda Franklin used X-ray diffraction to find the same double helix structure. This structure provided key information to how this molecule replicates and therefore passes information from generation to generation which was a fundamental discovery for the time period and the future. Making significant scientific advancements further showed the Soviets that America was a leading world power.
Authored by: Donnella Cardwell
April 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick published their most famous scientific paper that contained the newly discovered structure of the DNA double helical molecule. To add to their work, Rosalinda Franklin used X-ray diffraction to find the same double helix structure. This structure provided key information to how this molecule replicates and therefore passes information from generation to generation which was a fundamental discovery for the time period and the future. Making significant scientific advancements further showed the Soviets that America was a leading world power.
Authored by: Donnella Cardwell
Technology
The competitive spirit across the U.S in having a better political system caused science renovations and technology exploration. Consumerism was highly encouraged by representing Capitalism strongly significant for a prosperous, glamorous, and happy life. Most people desired newer, faster and renovated products. Some of the most significant tehnologies of the 1950's was the microchip, the stored program computer, mass produced modems, optical fiber and the credit card. These were all responsible for the effect that many Americans had on the Red Scare.
The first microchip/integrated circuit was produced by Jack Kilby and improved by Robert Noyce in 1958 by using silicon instead of germanium and interconnecting the components efficiently. The first commercially sold microchip was about the size of a baby finger and consisted one transistor, three resistors, and one capacitor. The common conveniences of modern life that involve digital technoloy and display wouldn't have existed exist, if it weren't for the microchip. This device's greatest potential "layed in the rapidly growing fields of computers, rockets, missiles, satellites, and space-vehicle instrumentation, where weight, size, and reliability were critical."
The first stored program computer was the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC.) It was built by Lyons and CO an was the first successful computer used for business applications. It used mercury delay lines for memory and derated vacuum tubes for logic. A five-hole punched tape input the information and the output was spat out by a teleprinter. The tubes were five feet long and the whole system was about the size of a small house. It was initially produced to solve clerical problems; scheduling production and delivery of cakes delivered to the Lyons store. It consisted the longest continuous period of operation, without a failure for 116 hours.
The first mass produced modems were used to connect terminals across various radar sites, airbases and command-and-control centres. These modems were the first to be mass produced and to use the Bell 101 dataset standard and were produced by 1952. Its a combined device for modulation and demodulation, for example, between the digital data of a computer and the analog signal of a telephone line. They ran on dedicated telephone lines, sending data over the PSTN (public switched telephone network) and were very similar to the Bell 101, 110 baud modems.
The concept of optical fiber was conceived by Daniel Colladon, but it was Van Heel who discovered that by covering the bare fibre/glass/plastic with a transparent cladding, contamination and crosstalk were greatly reduced, in 1956. Fiber optics have a greater bandwidth that cables then metal, they can carry more data, and are much lighter and thinner than them. They also offer less interference when transmitting messages, but they are more expensive to install.
The first credit card was produced by American Express in 1958. Frank X McNamara, head of the Hamilton Credit Corporation, went to Major Cabin Grill with some other men, where he saw two significant financial problems that would be solved if there was middleman between companies and their customers. The failure of lending credit cards at that restaurant and his friend not having cash on hand to pay for the meal, helped McNamara come up with the concept where a credit card would be used at multiple locations. As consumerism increased, the credit card was essential for people who didn't want to carry cash on them or if they were unable to pay the full price of the products that they desired.
Authored by Vivian Muniz