NationStates Jolt Archive

Who has had the most influence on technology within the past 100 years?

I vote Germany.


I'm running to the store real quick for beer (no I'm not driving), will be back soon.

EDIT/ADD==

I'm back..

I always knew from my dad (who favored Japan --I usually end up arguing with him to defend the US and UK) that Germany has always been one of the head honchos in technology. But that isn't why I chose them. I am aware that some of the brilliant things German inventors, physicists and engineers came up with weren't always up to par (as they would have intended) and able to follow through. Britain for instance, finished up on what the Germans invented, and made it work the way they (Germans) had wanted, but never did. The US and Russians later followed/copied the Germans plans for jets/bombs/rockets. Russian and US were flying at each other feeling like they were looking in the mirror.. both countries had seperately followed the German plans to a close tee without either of them knowing what the other was doing. That's pretty f'ing amazing.. that two..much less one other major power would be copy catting. Just coming up with the notion (having the imagination and will to put the unconceived thought into working machines etc. is freakin great as far as invention is concerned. IMO). These scientists, engineers etc weren't initially part of the Nazi. Their intent was to get to space. After Germany was whooped the US, Britain and Russians were racing one another (esp the US and Russia) to get to these brilliant scientist first. US of course went in and snatched what they wanted. But Russia (using their found German techno) made it to space first.. and then we the US came along 10 years later (with German techno) and went to the moon. Germany had the blue prints of many firsts..that's why I consider them the best. Britain and US has bettered some of that tech in many ways... the Japanese have bettered much of ours in many ways, but imo Germany comes first.

The United States or Germany, but ultimately I went with the U.S.

(France and Japan are out of this, they barely did anything. If they did please give proof)

The US.

Deutschland Translation--> Germany

Most inventions have probably been invented outside the United States; but it has been U.S. money and industrial capacity which has mostly put these inventions to work.

The United States or Germany, but ultimately I went with the U.S.

(France and Japan are out of this, they barely did anything. If they did please give proof)

I know France has some fine engineers. I'm not just talking military here.

The reason I put Japan up there, is because I'm talking the last 100 years. I'm sure Japan has come up with something useful/beneficial during this time, and not just improving on what we have done (which is how I see them--Improvers).

Edit: I should've added Sweden and Canada onto the poll. Sorry.

No matter the poll, I know if people disagreed and thought another country deserved to be there that isn't (My bad:( ) They'd speak up regardless.

Is the US so far ahead because we kick that much ass? I must be unaware of the technology we've had. I know we are up on the medical, recently.. but all in all.. 100 years? I hope you all are right tho.. the way we are heading. :eek:

I went for Blighty, we've had alot of significance tech wise.

Dreadnoughts? Worlds fist gunnery computer? Worlds first digital computer? Radar? Sonar? The tank? The amount of stuff Rolls-Royce has come up with?
British.

Oh and we invented the internet, we invented everything.

Oh and we invented the internet, we invented everything.

I thought that was Al Gore...

I'd have to say it's been a worldwide effort. Remember the Cold War? Lots of technological "keeping up with the [insert Bad Guys de jour here]."

Probably the US, partly because of its size. I suppose Britain and Germany may have a similar technological advancement record if taken comparatively with population size.

I thought that was Al Gore...

I read somewhere it was a Tyke-if it says one of my comrades did someething remotely good then I'll endorse it 100%.

I like Al Gore-in my media class we had to list his good qualities presented in An Inconvenient Truth.

Germany, I would say first, but the States follow pretty closely behind (transistor is kind of a big deal)

If we're talking about cornerstone technologies, I'd say China is a good contender. Gunpowder is one of the first few things that comes to the top of my mind that they were noted to have first discovered.

If we're talking about cornerstone technologies, I'd say China is a good contender. Gunpowder is one of the first few things that comes to the top of my mind that they were noted to have first discovered.

Past 100 years, though. And I'd say the transistor caused more changes than gunpowder.

The United States for developing the Microwave Oven.

By accident.

Mmmmmmmm...bagel bites.

The United States for developing the Microwave Oven.

By accident.

Mmmmmmmm...bagel bites.

Hot pockets ftw

Hot pockets ftw

Maximum delicious.

No matter the poll, I know if people disagreed and thought another country deserved to be there that isn't (My bad:( ) They'd speak up regardless.

Is the US so far ahead because we kick that much ass? I must be unaware of the technology we've had. I know we are up on the medical, recently.. but all in all.. 100 years? I hope you all are right tho.. the way we are heading. :eek:

Airplanes, the Atomic Bomb, the Transistor?

USA. the lightbulb, the phone, the nuclear bomb, the airplane al gore. we made all of these things.

Airplanes, the Atomic Bomb, the Transistor?

...the integrated circuit.

after much thought, I would say that it is a tie between the US and Germany, biased maybe in favor of the US.

Germany created the Haber process and has made many contributions to chemistry and materials science, and the first inklings of quantum theory came from Germany.

Atomic theory came from the US and Germany, primarily the US, and the US developed the silicon transistor, which bridged the theoretical gap and allowed for practical application of quantum theory in computers. This has resulted in an unprecidented free flow of information whose effects we are still feeling.

The US has also made large jumps in the use of ceramics and other materals, which has allowed for the development of high temperature superconductors.

Don't let IDF anywhere near this poll.

Don't let IDF anywhere near this poll.

Let's beat him to it.

From Wikipedia:

Ashkenazi Jews have made disproportionately large contributions to presumably intellectual pursuits. Though they are about a quarter of a percent of the world's population, they comprise 28 percent of Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics, and have accounted for more than half of world chess champions.[5] In the United States, Ashkenazi Jews represent less than 2 percent of the population, but have won 40 percent of the Nobel Prizes in science awarded to U.S. citizens, and 25 percent of all Turing Awards. A significant decline in the number of Nobel Prizes awarded to Europeans and a corresponding increase in the number of prizes awarded to U.S. citizens occurred while Nazi persecution of Jews drove them from Europe during the 1930s and drastically reduced their numbers in Europe in the 1940s

The last two industrial revolutions came out of the U.S. Britain ran the first two, but after that, the trend they started began moving ot fast, and they couldn't keep up.

Cars, refrigerators, mass production, total mechanization of the 1920s, etc- U.S.

Plastics, the industrial revolution of the mid-twentieth century- U.S.

Computers, technology, develpoement of the internet (not invention, developement)- U.S.

Sorry folks, Japan may have produced a lot of technology, but Silicon Valley still takes the cake, and that's in the U.S.

As for the social developement of the twenty-first cenutry, I would, of course, have to hand that to Europe- and, since we can't leave them out of this, San Francisco. They could take on a continent in social policy- of course, then again, they already have. Oh well...

I read somewhere it was a Tyke

Do you mean a Yorkshireman?

I went for Blighty, we've had alot of significance tech wise.


I love crazy projects, and they don't come much crazier than that one in Wiltshire - Stonehenge was an ancient monument back when the Roman empire still consisted of seven hills and a river.

It's a close call between the US and Germany. I think Germany would still all but dominate the World's technological advancement, if Hitler hadn't scared off such a large portion of their scientific community prior to WW2.

"Between 1901 and 1932, Germany had 25 Nobel Laureates in Physics and Chemistry while America had only five. During the fifty years that followed, Germany had only 13 Nobel Prize winners while America boasted 67."
http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/abomb/exodus.htm

The past 100 years: USA, Germany.

Latest years: Japan, China.
Japan started to mean something in technology just 25-30 years ago, before that they were nothing, just outsourcing zone, like China 10 years ago. Now China is taking over.

It's usually like this: some random German bloke invents something, some US guy makes it well known, and then some Japanese dude makes the money by selling it to both.