During the last two hundred years humans have made leaps and bounds in the technology field. According to the uspto.gov website, nearly 1.1 million U.S. utility patents have been granted between 2000 and 2012 alone and more than 2.2 million worldwide. The number of utility patent applications is growing more and more every year. With so many technologies being invented there are bound to be some that have international recognition and influence. While not a new technology, the automobile has had a tremendous impact on society. The automobile industry is responsible for increasing efficiency in manufacturing processes, allowing family and friends to travel the world, employing over 700,000 workers in 2011 (selectusa.commerce.gov), and of course creating feuds between Chevy, Ford and Dodge enthusiasts. Without the invention of the modern automobile, the world would be quite different from what it is today. It took centuries and more than one brilliant mind to invent the automobile. According to the loc.gov website, the invention of the automobile can be traced back to the fifteenth century when Leonardo da Vinci was experimenting with new means of transportation. However the first modern automobile with a gasoline internal combustion engine can be credited to Karl Friedrich Benz at the end of the nineteenth century in Germany (loc.gov). Many other inventors in Europe such as Nicolaus Otto, Gottlieb Daimler, Carl Benz, and Emile Levassor went on to perfect the modern automobile ( history.com ). Even though the modern automobile was “perfected” in Europe, its growth and adoption was accelerated in the United States. A technology’s success and impact is directly associated with how well it is adopted. For example, when comparing th... ... middle of paper ... ...ould be difficult to make a case stating that the modern automobile has not had a large effect on our society in more than one way. It has been shown that the automobile has stimulated the economy by creating jobs and being partly responsible for the increase of women in the workforce. The automobile has revolutionized modern manufacturing by advancing techniques and bringing popularity to producing technologies that are meant for the masses rather than the few. The automobile has also sparked worldwide debate on issues involving air pollution and futuristic energy sources. In order for a technology to have a worldwide impact on culture, history, politics, environment and the economy, it must have two characteristics; it must be available and desired by the masses and it must be adaptable. The modern automobile has been proven to have both of these characteristics.
In the July 1997 issue of Commentary, James Q. Wilson challenges the consensus among academia’s finest regarding the automobile in his bold article, Cars and Their Enemies. Directed towards the general public, his article discredits many of the supposed negatives of the automobile raised by experts, proves that the personal car is thriving and will continue to thrive because it meets individual preference over other means of transportation, as well as presents solutions to the social costs of cars. Wilson emphasizes that no matter what is said and done in eliminating the social costs of the automobile, experts are not going to stop campaigning against it.
In the twentieth century, the introduction of the motor vehicle in the United States became not only noteworthy, but also vital in the development of modern American civilization. This technologically complex machine led citizens to vast future dependence on the invention. While mobility was suddenly not limited to alternative, more convoluted options such as railroad stations or bicycles, yet copiously amplified to aid convenience and expanded leisure opportunities. From auto-racing to redesigning infrastructure, motor vehicles allowed progression, digression, and essentially uttermost change to the lifestyles of the American people. This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all, credit renowned to Henry Ford.
One of the main reasons that the automobile has changed America for the better is because of its effect it has had on transportation. For example, with the invention of the automobile came a need for highways this allowed easy travel for people to get to work or to go on vacations. It also had a huge effect one the war. The automobile allowed soldiers to haul weapons food and other supplies. The automobile also allowed soldiers to get from battlefield to battlefield quick and easily. with the invention of the automobile gave a whole new mea...
From integrating technology in education to introducing technological innovation in agriculture, users acceptance presents a complex set of challenges to innovation diffusion. According to Everett Rogers, one reason why there is so much interest in the diffusion of innovations is because "getting a new idea adopted, even when it has obvious advantages, is very difficult" (Rogers, 1995, p. 1).
Automobiles play an essential role in American society. As if being the major means of transportation was not impressive enough, automotives can be seen on T.V., in movies, in magazines, and can sometimes be indicative of a person’s wealth and social status. On average, Americans drive nearly 40 miles and drive for just over 50 minutes driving per person per day (http://www.bts.gov). That means a person spends roughly one-sixteenth of a day driving. It would make sense, then, to make such an essential part of society as efficient, cost effective, and clean as possible. However, that is not the case. As the years have passed cars have actually begun to move away from efficiency. Hawken writes, “[The automobile] design process has made cars ever heavier, more complex, and usually costlier. These are all unmistakable signs that automaking has beco...
Automobiles play a major role in today's society. Almost every American owns at least one motorized transportation vehicle. Some say they make our lives better by reaching places faster than before. Others say they are a harmful to the environment. Have they made our society better or worse? They may be fast, but do we as humans want our environment to suffer because of time. Face it, cars pollute. And they release destructive chemicals into the air. Air pollution can threaten the health of many subjects in the environment including human beings.
Henry Ford, the man who revolutionized the car industry forever, founded his company under the beliefs that a car wasn’t a high-speed toy for the rich but instead a sturdy vehicle for everyday family needs, like driving to work, getting groceries or driving to church. However, Henry ford did much more than just this feat. He also tried to make peace in WWI before America had joined the war. In addition, Ford made the radical new five dollars a day payment. However, Ford also had his lows. At an early age, his mother died. His first two companies had also been failures. Against many of his closest friends protests, he published an anti-semitic (Jewish) newspaper. Ford had a very interesting and unique life and he changed the automotive industry forever.
The birth of the automobile was truly something special. Once a far fetched dream is now what many people believe to be the back bone of the American economy. When people think about the automobile the name that comes to mind is most usually Henry Ford. Although he is not credited with the invention of the automobile, Henry Ford played a crucial role in the development of mass production. The automobile was first invented Europe in 1771 with a top speed of 2.3 miles per hour. A man by the name of Gottliech Daimler produced what was known as the milestone car in 1889, this vehicle traveled at 10 miles per hour (Brown, 105). Not more then a handful of these cars were produced over seas. Not many people had ever seen one, let alone had one. It wasn’t until Henry Ford invented the assembly line, that anyone knew what a car was. Henry Ford and the invention of the assembly line altered the American economy and revolutionized travel everywhere.
Vehicles have played an important role in the US because of their use of connecting people to any place. As “America's population of automobiles & drivers is increasing” (Davis), it’s true that every household has the average of 2 or 3 cars in their garage. It means most people have their own car. In developed countries like the US, there is a high level of activity that requires people to move around a lot. They like to use cars as their favorite transportation, even if it just takes 5 minutes to go to Wal-Mart or grocery, then cars become necessary in their life.
In conclusion throughout the years the causes and effects of the automobile have played a major role in the advancement of past and present America. And as time continues it is only expected that technological advancements will go hand in hand with the automotive industry. Although companies may come and go, the need for the automobile will always be there. As well as the need for mechanics, parts, and everything else included in the process of making and selling an automobile.
Before the invention of the modern day engine, lifestyles were completely different. Letters were sent by horse drawn wagons, people traveled by horses and other such animals, often taking an entire day to go twenty miles. The first direct injection fuel engine was not invented until 1923.[1] It only took a year before this engine was put into automobiles, making the lives of the general public much easier. The invention of the engine not only made it possible to travel by road, but also by water and air. Mail was no longer delivered by horses and families were able to travel from one place to another in less than an entire day. However, the affects of the modern day engine can be seen all over the world. Take Los Angeles for example; the city is filled with smog which is from the overcrowding of all the freeways with automobiles. Technology has escalated to a level where engines are no longer made by the working man. Now, engines can be made simply machines and computer based tools. However, these thought of simple ways of creating engines are not as easy as the first seemed. There are many positive and negative aspects of using technology to design engines.
The first automobile was invented in Europe, however the automobile industry had an enormous favorable impact on the United States economy.(Brown,
Starting in the 1920’s America began its shift towards a consumer culture as the economic growth of the nation began to depend more on the proliferation of consumer goods than of capital goods. Even at the outset of this trend, the automobile held a significant place in the new consumer economy. The automobile, which was once thought of as a rare luxury, was being sold by the millions. Assembly lines were becoming more efficient, thus allowing cars to be made more cheaply allowing the price of automobiles to drop. The growth of the automobile helped stimulate the economy through its dependence on other industries such as glass, rubber and steel, which were connected to the production of cars. These automobile related industries created new jobs, greater affluence and more spending power for millions of American consumers. Even at the beginning of America’s transformation into the consumer culture of today the automobile was at the forefront this conversion.
And it has evolved greatly ever since, even starting to loop back to Edison’s original plan for an electric car. So its safe to say that that the automobile is one of, if not, the most influential inventions in the United States.
Adoption of technologies has been widely defined. Adoption can be defined as the continued use of a recommended idea or practice by individuals over a reasonable long period of time and the adoption is not a permanent behavior (Doss, 2003). Accordin...