page_title: 20th century in science
section_title: Engineering and technology
hierarchical_section_title: 20th century in science / Engineering and technology
caption_attribution_description: العربية: أول محاولة ناجحة للطيران للطائرة رايت فلاير التي تم انشائها بواسطة الأخوان رايت . طارت الطائرة لمسافة 120 قدم (36.6م) خلال 12 ثانية الساعة 10:35 صباحًا في كيل ديفيل هيلز ، بولاية كارولينا الشمالية . English: First successful flight of the Wright Flyer, by the Wright brothers. The machine traveled 120 ft (36.6 m) in 12 seconds at 10:35 a.m. at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Orville Wright was at the controls of the machine, lying prone on the lower wing with his hips in the cradle which operated the wing-warping mechanism. Wilbur Wright ran alongside to balance the machine, and just released his hold on the forward upright of the right wing in the photo. The starting rail, the wing-rest, a coil box, and other items needed for flight preparation are visible behind the machine. This is described as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air, powered flight" by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, but is not listed by the FAI as an official record. Français&#160;: L’un des premier vols habités de l’histoire dans un aéronef plus lourd que l’air (36.6 mètres en 12 secondes), par les frères Wright le 17 décembre 1903 à 10h35 sur la plage de Kill Devil Hills en Caroline du Nord. Orville est aux commandes, allongé sur le ventre sur l’aile basse et les hanches dans la nacelle qui servait à contrôler le mouvement des ailes&#160;; Wilbur court le long de l’appareil et vient de lacher l’aile droite. Le rail de lancement, des étais et d’autres équipements nécessaires pour la préparation du vol sont visibles. 日本語: 1903年12月17日、ライト兄弟が人類初の動力飛行機での有人飛行に成功した時の写真。ライトフライヤー号
context_page_description: Science advanced dramatically during the 20th century. There were new and radical developments in the physical, life and human sciences, building on the progress made in the 19th century.
  The development of post-Newtonian theories in physics, such as special relativity, general relativity, and quantum mechanics led to the development of nuclear weapons. New models of the structure of the atom led to developments in theories of chemistry and the development of new materials such as nylon and plastics. Advances in biology led to large increases in food production, as well as the elimination of diseases such as polio.
  A massive amount of new technologies were developed in the 20th century. Technologies such as electricity, the incandescent light bulb, the automobile and the phonograph, first developed at the end of the 19th century, were perfected and universally deployed. The first airplane flight occurred in 1903, and by the end of the century large airplanes such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 flew thousands of miles in a matter of hours. The development of the television and computers caused massive changes in the dissemination of information.
context_section_description: One of the prominent traits of the 20th century was the dramatic growth of technology. Organized research and practice of science led to advancement in the fields of communication, engineering, travel, medicine, and war.
  The number and types of home appliances increased dramatically due to advancements in technology, electricity availability, and increases in wealth and leisure time. Such basic appliances as washing machines, clothes dryers, furnaces, exercise machines, refrigerators, freezers, electric stoves, and vacuum cleaners all became popular from the 1920s through the 1950s. The microwave oven became popular during the 1980s and have become a standard in all homes by the 1990s. Radios were popularized as a form of entertainment during the 1920s, which extended to television during the 1950s. Cable and satellite television spread rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s. Personal computers began to enter the home during the 1970s–1980s as well. The age of the portable music player grew during the 1960s with the development of the transistor radio,  8-track and cassette tapes, which slowly began to replace record players These were in turn replaced by the CD during the late 1980s and 1990s. The proliferation of the Internet in the mid-to-late 1990s made digital distribution of music (mp3s) possible. VCRs were popularized in the 1970s, but by the end of the 20th century, DVD players were beginning to replace them, making the VHS obsolete by the end of the first decade of the 21st century.
  The first airplane was flown in 1903.  With the engineering of the faster jet engine in the 1940s, mass air travel became commercially viable.
  The assembly line made mass production of the automobile viable. By the end of the 20th century, billions of people had automobiles for personal transportation.  The combination of the automobile, motor boats and air travel allowed for unprecedented personal mobility. In western nations, motor vehicle accidents became the greatest cause of death for young people. However, expansion of divided highways reduced the death rate.
  The triode tube, transistor and integrated circuit successively revolutionized electronics and computers, leading to the proliferation of the personal computer in the 1980s and cell phones and the public-use Internet in the 1990s.
  New materials, most notably stainless steel, Velcro, silicone, teflon, and plastics such as polystyrene, PVC, polyethylene, and nylon came into widespread use for many various applications. These materials typically have tremendous performance gains in strength, temperature, chemical resistance, or mechanical properties over those known prior to the 20th century.
  Aluminum became an inexpensive metal and became second only to iron in use.
  Semiconductor materials were discovered, and methods of production and purification developed for use in electronic devices. Silicon became one of the purest substances ever produced.
  Thousands of chemicals were developed for industrial processing and home use.
caption: First flight of the Wright Flyer I, December 17, 1903, Orville piloting, Wilbur running at wingtip.
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