Science of the 1940’s

           
            Between 1940 and 1949 many new scientific discoveries were made. One of them would be the atomic bombs. Others would be household items such as microwave ovens, the first digital computer, the Polaroid camera and much more in toys for kids. Some of these inventions played a major role in people’s daily lives. Without these inventions, America would not be what it is today.

            Percy L. Spencer invented the microwave oven in 1947. The microwave oven played a major role in people’s lives by heating up T.V. dinners, which were also invented in the 1940s. People no longer had to worry about rationing their food or how much food they had to purchase to last them the whole month. During WWII America began to ration food and other materials for the soldiers. T.V. dinners and microwave ovens helped the American people deal with rationing food by making it a bit easier when they planned what and how much food to purchase when going to the market.

            John Presper Eckert Jr. and John W. Mauchy invented the digital computer in 1945. The It was a major advancement in technology even though it was only able to simple math. It was as large as a classroom and used the equivalent of 100 home PC’s electricity wise. Although it would be useless today, it was needed then to help develop American technology and make the advancements that we have today.

            The Polaroid camera was invented in 1947 by Edwin Herbert Land. The camera played an important role in people’s lives by families now being able to connect to each other if they were in different states by sending pictures of themselves to each other. It also allowed people to capture moments they never wanted to forget. It also played a major role in wartime. It allowed soldiers to capture and record the horror they were experiencing and seeing. It also helped society by being able to prove the Holocaust did happen when Germany tried to deny it. The camera was able to produce evidence.

            The atomic bomb was invented in 1945 by a number of scientists that worked for the government. This invention not only changed people’s lives and the view of war but it also changed the world. Two atomic bombs were created and used in WW11. (“Fat Man” and “Little Boy”) Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki and Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. The combined number of deaths from both bombs is over 100.000. The bombs also killed years after the war due to the toxic radiation that was emitted from the ground.  The radiation caused not only death but also birth defects. This invention is unfortunate because it was created purely for war but necessary because it has shown the world how horrible war truly is.

            A few inventions that were for children was the slinky, board games and the frisbee. The slinky was invented in 1943 by Richard James and his wife Betty James helped him create it. When it was sold in department stores in 1945 it was a hit. It sold 900 units in only 90 minutes. A couple board games are Candy Land and Scrabble. Other toys created would be Lego Building blocks and toy soldiers and tanks.

            Without all these inventions from the 1940s America would not be the powerful and successful country it is today. Even though the atomic bombs were crated in this era they were necessary for the world’s history. They demonstrated how evil wars are and how deadly mankind can be. The toys invented helped America by helping its people deal with the wartime stress.