Technology Our Mothers Told Us About, the Forties
TEchno Granny and Nanno Granny are at it again. This time they are talking about Technology Their Mothers Told Them About: The forties! Understand that most technology does not reach public use sometimes for five or ten or more years. Most of the 1940's was caught up in war so often it is referred to as the lost decade. Most of the technology was centered around war but a few things managed to creep into the inventive process like the mircrowave, the hot water heater, silly putty, the frisbee, 45 rpm records and the long playing record came into use. Gas was eleven cents a gallon and a plush convertible cost half as much as the amount given for Cash for Clunkers in the current administration. But horrible killing devices were also invented, the atomic bomb and unmanned rockets that could carry bombs were killing technology.and napalm (not villainized until the Viet Nam War) that could carry bombs were killing technology. But good technology was invented also like automation and which came into use in the forties and the aqualung. Listen in to hear more and call in to tell your stories of Technology Our Mothers Told Us About, the Forties. EPISODE122 -
Money and Inflation 1940's
To provide an estimate of inflation we have given a guide to the value of $100 US Dollars for the first year in the decade to the equivalent in todays money If you have $100 Converted from 1940 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $1433.77 today In 1940 a gallon of gas was 11 cents and by 1949 was 17 cents In 1940 the average cost of new car was $850.00 and by 1949 was $1,420.00 More
A few more prices from the 40's and how much things cost Nylon Hose 20 cents Ford Super Deluxe Sedan Coupe $1395 Sealey Mattress $38.00 Example of a house for sale Example From Realty for sale in the 40's 1945 Income property Lincoln Nebraska 3 apartments furnished 2 separate baths automatic heat $5,300
was shot dead
World War II 1940's
The Forties were dominated by World War II , and after a long period of Economic Recession throughout the world, starting with Wall Street Crash in 1929 and through most of the 30's, the world would be a different place after the 2nd world war ended. As so often happens during war technological advances in any technology that is seen to provide some advantage jump in leaps and bounds the 40's provide some of the best examples The first ever use of a Nuclear Bomb during wartime when the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Major advancements in radar to help with tracking Enemy aircraft which after the war changed the aviation industry The improvements in the use of Jet Engines The use of unmanned rockets as a weapon ( V2 ) to carry bombs Mans inhumanity to Man exceeded anything preceding with the use of concentration camps as part of "The Holocaust " the name applied to the systematic state-sponsored persecution and genocide of the Jews. More About Hiroshima
Technology From The Forties
Jet Engines, Radar and Nuclear Fission technological advances due to the war
Colossus, the world's first totally electronic and digital computer
First Supersonic faster than sound Flight ( Chuck Yager )
First Transistor developed
Inventions The Year Invented Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )45 rpm Record ----- 1949 USA Artificial Intelligence ----- 1947 England by Alan Turing Atomic Bomb ----- 1945 USA by Robert Oppenheimer's team Atomic Power ----- 1942 USA by Enrico Fermi's team creating first self-sustaining chain reaction Aqualung ----- 1943 France by J Cousteau and E Gagnon Automation ----- 1946 USA by Henry Ford Computer ----- 1948 England by Freddie William's team Guided Missile ----- 1942 Germany by Werner von Braun Hologram ----- 1947 Hungary by Denis Gabor Kidney Dialysis ----- 1944 Netherlands by Willem Kolff Long Playing Record LP ----- 1948 USA made of vinyl and played at 33 rpm Microwave Oven ----- 1946 USA by Percy L Spencer Mobile Phone ----- 1947 USA Napalm ----- 1942 USA from Harvard University Transistor ----- 1947 USA from Bell Laboratories Velcro ----- 1948 Switzerland by George deMestral
From Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh
Public reliance upon the Library in time of need was again demonstrated during the early nineteen-forties, this time in relation to national defense. Middle-aged men, long unemployed, and National Youth Administration students stood together at the technology shelves examining elementary books on blueprint reading, welding and the machine trades. On a higher level of endeavor, scientific books, periodicals, and patent files were in constant use by research engineers. So great was the demand for technical literature that funds were diverted from other fields to purchase more books needed by industrial workers.
In the forties, the long-playing record the first water heater and pump were invented. The very first bikini was also invented and it could fold up so small that it could fit inside of a little ring box.
Flight technology took a successful turn in the forties. Frank Whittle built the first jet engine that was used in 1941, soon becoming the modern jet engine. Also, Igor Sikorsky invented the first modern helicopter.
Transistors that are used in radios and other electronic machines were created by William Shockley.
War like a Wasp: The Lost Decade of the 'Forties
Book by Andrew Sinclair; Hamish Hamilton, 1989. 321 pgs.
Presidents:
There where two presidents from 1940-1949. They were Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.
Heroes:
Rosie the Riveter was a character who encouraged women to do their part for the war. Women worked in factories to help out. Most women did not work outside the home so this was a big step for women. After the war the women went back to the home to work and gave their jobs back to the men.
.
Games:
Baseball was big in the 1940's. But then there was a Negro league and a white league.
Boxing was a big sport in the 1940's.
Freewheeling Brawl was when five girls were on roller-skates and wrestled as they skated around a ring. When one fell, it usually hurt and if you were lucky you would not break a bone. You could see it because there were big bleechers where you sit, it was not on T.V.
Inventions:
Electric water heaters and pumps were introduced in the1940's.
On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was set off near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
The Slinky (1943)
Richard James and Betty James invented the slinky in 1943. Richard James was a naval engineer trying to develop a meter designed to monitor horsepower on naval battleships. He was working with tension springs when one of the springs fell to the ground. He saw how the spring kept moving after it hit the ground and an idea for a toy was born.
Richard remarked to his wife, "I think I can make a toy out of this." Richard then spent the next two years figuring out the best steel gauge and coil to use in making the toy and Betty James found a name for the new toy after discovering in the dictionary that the word "Slinky" is a Swedish word meaning traespiral
The Slinky was successfully demonstrated at Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the 1945 Christmas season and then at the 1946 American Toy Fair. Richard nervous at the first demonstration of his toy convinced a friend to attend and buy the first Slinky. However, this turned out to be unnecessary as 400 Slinkys were sold during the 90 minute Gimbel demonstration.
Colour Television (1940) Peter Goldmark
In 1940, prior to RCA, CBS researchers led by Peter Goldmark invented a mechanical color television system based on the 1928 designs of John Logie Baird. You couldn't buy one though.
Production of monchrome sets started to take off dramatically after the end of the war and it wasn't until the FCC (Federal Communications Commission ) hearings of 1949-50 that a standard was even introduced, with the first sets being made commercially available in 1951.
The Jeep (1940) Willy’s Truck Company
During the second world war the US Army recognised the need for a fast, lightweight all-terrain vehicle. In 1940, the Army put out a tender to automotive companies to create a working prototype (fitting army specifications) within forty-nine days.
The company that eventually won the battle of the prototypes was Willy’s Truck Company with their MB model.
Nicknamed “the Jeep” the vehicle was adopted with great success on the battlefield US General Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying that, “America could not have won World War II without it”. Although I’m sure he meant to say that the Allies wouldn’t have won without it!
Silly Putty (1943) James Wright
The history of silly putty is quite amusing. In 1943 James Wright, an engineer, was attempting to create a synthetic rubber. He was unable to achieve the properties he was looking for and put his creation (later to be called silly putty) on the shelf as a failure.
A few years later, a salesman for the Dow Corning Corporation was using the putty to entertain some customers. One of his customers became intrigued with the putty and saw that it had potential as a new toy.
In 1957, after being endorsed on the "Howdy Doody Show", silly putty became a toy fad. Recently new uses such as a grip strengthener and as an art medium have been developed. Silly putt even went into space on the Apollo 8 mission.
Atomic Bomb : The Manhattan Project (1945) Robert Oppenheimer
On August 2, 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Einstein and several other scientists told Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify uranium-235, which could be used to build an atomic bomb.
Shortly thereafter the US Government began the serious undertaking known then only as "The Manhattan Project." Simply put, the Manhattan Project was committed to expediting research that would produce a viable atomic bomb. The most complicated issue to be addressed in making of an atomic bomb was the production of ample amounts of "enriched" uranium to sustain a chain reaction.
Scientists Who Invented the Atomic Bomb under the Manhattan Project: Robert Oppenheimer, David Bohm, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, Otto Frisch, Rudolf Peierls, Felix Bloch, Niels Bohr, Emilio Segre, James Franck, Enrico Fermi, Klaus Fuchs and Edward Teller.
Tupperware : Modern Invention When We Were Kids You might be suprised by just how many things were invented when we were kids
Tupperware was invented by Earl Tupper, a New Hampshire tree surgeon and plastics innovator, who began experimenting with polyethylene, a new material (invented in 1942) used primarily for insulation, radar, and radio equipment.
He patented the Tupperware seal in 1947, but more importantly used the revolutionary marketing concept of the "Tupperware Party" to sell the product, a unique and innovative way of marketing directly to housewives.
TEchno Granny and Nanno Granny are at it again. This time they are talking about Technology Their Mothers Told Them About: The forties! Understand that most technology does not reach public use sometimes for five or ten or more years. Most of the 1940's was caught up in war so often it is referred to as the lost decade. Most of the technology was centered around war but a few things managed to creep into the inventive process like the mircrowave, the hot water heater, silly putty, the frisbee, 45 rpm records and the long playing record came into use. Gas was eleven cents a gallon and a plush convertible cost half as much as the amount given for Cash for Clunkers in the current administration. But horrible killing devices were also invented, the atomic bomb and unmanned rockets that could carry bombs were killing technology.and napalm (not villainized until the Viet Nam War) that could carry bombs were killing technology. But good technology was invented also like automation and which came into use in the forties and the aqualung. Listen in to hear more and call in to tell your stories of Technology Our Mothers Told Us About, the Forties. EPISODE122 -
Money and Inflation 1940's
To provide an estimate of inflation we have given a guide to the value of $100 US Dollars for the first year in the decade to the equivalent in todays money If you have $100 Converted from 1940 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $1433.77 today In 1940 a gallon of gas was 11 cents and by 1949 was 17 cents In 1940 the average cost of new car was $850.00 and by 1949 was $1,420.00 More
A few more prices from the 40's and how much things cost Nylon Hose 20 cents Ford Super Deluxe Sedan Coupe $1395 Sealey Mattress $38.00 Example of a house for sale Example From Realty for sale in the 40's 1945 Income property Lincoln Nebraska 3 apartments furnished 2 separate baths automatic heat $5,300
was shot dead
World War II 1940's
The Forties were dominated by World War II , and after a long period of Economic Recession throughout the world, starting with Wall Street Crash in 1929 and through most of the 30's, the world would be a different place after the 2nd world war ended. As so often happens during war technological advances in any technology that is seen to provide some advantage jump in leaps and bounds the 40's provide some of the best examples The first ever use of a Nuclear Bomb during wartime when the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Major advancements in radar to help with tracking Enemy aircraft which after the war changed the aviation industry The improvements in the use of Jet Engines The use of unmanned rockets as a weapon ( V2 ) to carry bombs Mans inhumanity to Man exceeded anything preceding with the use of concentration camps as part of "The Holocaust " the name applied to the systematic state-sponsored persecution and genocide of the Jews. More About Hiroshima
Technology From The Forties
Jet Engines, Radar and Nuclear Fission technological advances due to the war
Colossus, the world's first totally electronic and digital computer
First Supersonic faster than sound Flight ( Chuck Yager )
First Transistor developed
Inventions The Year Invented Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )45 rpm Record ----- 1949 USA Artificial Intelligence ----- 1947 England by Alan Turing Atomic Bomb ----- 1945 USA by Robert Oppenheimer's team Atomic Power ----- 1942 USA by Enrico Fermi's team creating first self-sustaining chain reaction Aqualung ----- 1943 France by J Cousteau and E Gagnon Automation ----- 1946 USA by Henry Ford Computer ----- 1948 England by Freddie William's team Guided Missile ----- 1942 Germany by Werner von Braun Hologram ----- 1947 Hungary by Denis Gabor Kidney Dialysis ----- 1944 Netherlands by Willem Kolff Long Playing Record LP ----- 1948 USA made of vinyl and played at 33 rpm Microwave Oven ----- 1946 USA by Percy L Spencer Mobile Phone ----- 1947 USA Napalm ----- 1942 USA from Harvard University Transistor ----- 1947 USA from Bell Laboratories Velcro ----- 1948 Switzerland by George deMestral
From Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh
Public reliance upon the Library in time of need was again demonstrated during the early nineteen-forties, this time in relation to national defense. Middle-aged men, long unemployed, and National Youth Administration students stood together at the technology shelves examining elementary books on blueprint reading, welding and the machine trades. On a higher level of endeavor, scientific books, periodicals, and patent files were in constant use by research engineers. So great was the demand for technical literature that funds were diverted from other fields to purchase more books needed by industrial workers.
In the forties, the long-playing record the first water heater and pump were invented. The very first bikini was also invented and it could fold up so small that it could fit inside of a little ring box.
Flight technology took a successful turn in the forties. Frank Whittle built the first jet engine that was used in 1941, soon becoming the modern jet engine. Also, Igor Sikorsky invented the first modern helicopter.
Transistors that are used in radios and other electronic machines were created by William Shockley.
War like a Wasp: The Lost Decade of the 'Forties
Book by Andrew Sinclair; Hamish Hamilton, 1989. 321 pgs.
Presidents:
There where two presidents from 1940-1949. They were Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.
Heroes:
Rosie the Riveter was a character who encouraged women to do their part for the war. Women worked in factories to help out. Most women did not work outside the home so this was a big step for women. After the war the women went back to the home to work and gave their jobs back to the men.
.
Games:
Baseball was big in the 1940's. But then there was a Negro league and a white league.
Boxing was a big sport in the 1940's.
Freewheeling Brawl was when five girls were on roller-skates and wrestled as they skated around a ring. When one fell, it usually hurt and if you were lucky you would not break a bone. You could see it because there were big bleechers where you sit, it was not on T.V.
Inventions:
Electric water heaters and pumps were introduced in the1940's.
On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was set off near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
The Slinky (1943)
Richard James and Betty James invented the slinky in 1943. Richard James was a naval engineer trying to develop a meter designed to monitor horsepower on naval battleships. He was working with tension springs when one of the springs fell to the ground. He saw how the spring kept moving after it hit the ground and an idea for a toy was born.
Richard remarked to his wife, "I think I can make a toy out of this." Richard then spent the next two years figuring out the best steel gauge and coil to use in making the toy and Betty James found a name for the new toy after discovering in the dictionary that the word "Slinky" is a Swedish word meaning traespiral
The Slinky was successfully demonstrated at Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the 1945 Christmas season and then at the 1946 American Toy Fair. Richard nervous at the first demonstration of his toy convinced a friend to attend and buy the first Slinky. However, this turned out to be unnecessary as 400 Slinkys were sold during the 90 minute Gimbel demonstration.
Colour Television (1940) Peter Goldmark
In 1940, prior to RCA, CBS researchers led by Peter Goldmark invented a mechanical color television system based on the 1928 designs of John Logie Baird. You couldn't buy one though.
Production of monchrome sets started to take off dramatically after the end of the war and it wasn't until the FCC (Federal Communications Commission ) hearings of 1949-50 that a standard was even introduced, with the first sets being made commercially available in 1951.
The Jeep (1940) Willy’s Truck Company
During the second world war the US Army recognised the need for a fast, lightweight all-terrain vehicle. In 1940, the Army put out a tender to automotive companies to create a working prototype (fitting army specifications) within forty-nine days.
The company that eventually won the battle of the prototypes was Willy’s Truck Company with their MB model.
Nicknamed “the Jeep” the vehicle was adopted with great success on the battlefield US General Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying that, “America could not have won World War II without it”. Although I’m sure he meant to say that the Allies wouldn’t have won without it!
Silly Putty (1943) James Wright
The history of silly putty is quite amusing. In 1943 James Wright, an engineer, was attempting to create a synthetic rubber. He was unable to achieve the properties he was looking for and put his creation (later to be called silly putty) on the shelf as a failure.
A few years later, a salesman for the Dow Corning Corporation was using the putty to entertain some customers. One of his customers became intrigued with the putty and saw that it had potential as a new toy.
In 1957, after being endorsed on the "Howdy Doody Show", silly putty became a toy fad. Recently new uses such as a grip strengthener and as an art medium have been developed. Silly putt even went into space on the Apollo 8 mission.
Atomic Bomb : The Manhattan Project (1945) Robert Oppenheimer
On August 2, 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Einstein and several other scientists told Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify uranium-235, which could be used to build an atomic bomb.
Shortly thereafter the US Government began the serious undertaking known then only as "The Manhattan Project." Simply put, the Manhattan Project was committed to expediting research that would produce a viable atomic bomb. The most complicated issue to be addressed in making of an atomic bomb was the production of ample amounts of "enriched" uranium to sustain a chain reaction.
Scientists Who Invented the Atomic Bomb under the Manhattan Project: Robert Oppenheimer, David Bohm, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, Otto Frisch, Rudolf Peierls, Felix Bloch, Niels Bohr, Emilio Segre, James Franck, Enrico Fermi, Klaus Fuchs and Edward Teller.
Tupperware : Modern Invention When We Were Kids You might be suprised by just how many things were invented when we were kids
Tupperware was invented by Earl Tupper, a New Hampshire tree surgeon and plastics innovator, who began experimenting with polyethylene, a new material (invented in 1942) used primarily for insulation, radar, and radio equipment.
He patented the Tupperware seal in 1947, but more importantly used the revolutionary marketing concept of the "Tupperware Party" to sell the product, a unique and innovative way of marketing directly to housewives.
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