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Inventions That Shaped America Essay

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20th Century Inventions that Shaped America
Throughout history many inventions were invented, but did not have a lasting use like the siege weapons of medieval times, they had there one use and when that uses was no longer needed the invention was replaced. However, many things we use and take for granted today were invented in the 20th century. The first invention to impact the country was the wright brothers’ invention the airplane in 1903, the second advancement in technology was from Fritz Harber in 1909 with the process of ammonia synthesis, the third and final invention was from Henry Ford in 1913 with the assembly line production process. These inventions may not have been looked at the time they were invented as something that would last forever and always be in use.
The invention of the airplane in 1903 from the Wright Brothers not only changed the way consumers traveled, but also how countries would wage war. “The U.S. …show more content…

In order for his vison to become reality he would have to come up with a plan to lower the cost of production while increasing product output. Product output could be raised if production time could be reduced according to Vaclav Smil “Data from Ford cost books show that 151 hours was needed to make a car in 1906, 39 in 1914”. This reduction in time spent making one car increased the affordability of cars for the common people. The price drop was pretty substantial prior to 1913 a car cost $850-$875, but after 1913 the price dropped 35% to $550 then the next year it was down to $440, after WWII the price of a car was around $265 (Smil 133). The process of mass production not only worked for the automotive companies but many other consumer items followed suite, so prices dropped and more people where purchasing items they may not have been able to afford before. This process also created jobs by requiring less skilled workers which helped boost the

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