Life at the Turn of the 20th Century

Positive and Negative Effects of

Technology

Science and Urban Life By the turn of the 20th century, four out of ten Americans lived in cities. In response to urbanization, technological advances began to meet communication, transportation, and space demands.

Business and Industry Growth

Positive Effects

Industry growth creates jobs, creates wealth, and it produces better living. It also allows us to produce products more quickly than before.

Business and Industry Growth

Negative Effects Businesses use the environment's natural resources in order to create their products

The waste that comes from these businesses pollutes the streams, rivers and oceans of the world killing countless varieties of wildlife.

This waste also has the potential to damage our water supply.

Electric Transit Changes in transportation allowed cities to spread outward. By the turn of the century, intricate networks of electric streetcars – also called trolley cars – ran from outlying neighborhoods to downtown offices & stores.

Electronic Transit Positive Effects

Unlike buses, electronic transit gives off no exhaust emissions at point of use.

Rights-of-way are narrower than for buses. This saves valuable space in cities with high population densities and/or narrow streets.

Trams can run on renewable electricity without the need for very expensive and short life batteries.

Electronic Transit Negative Effects Trams use urban space at ground-

level, which cannot be used for other uses.

The cost is higher than for buses, even if they have a higher lifetime than a bus.

Rail transport can expose populations to moderate levels of low-frequency noise.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. At the power plant, the fission process is used to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity.

Nuclear EnergyPositive Effects Nuclear power generation does

emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) so they contribute little to global warming.

This technology is readily available, it does not have to be developed first.

It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.

Nuclear EnergyNegative Effects The waste from nuclear energy is extremely

dangerous and it has to be carefully supervised for 10,000 years.

Accidents can happen. A small possibility of failure will always last. The consequences of an accident would be deadly for nature.

Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be targets for terrorist attacks which would have catastrophic effects for the world.

The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium is a scarce resource, and is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years.

Skyscrapers Skyscrapers emerged

after elevators & steel skeletons to bear weight were invented. Examples include Daniel Burnham’s Flatiron Building in NYC and Louis Sullivan’s Wainwright Building in St. Louis. The skyscraper, America’s greatest contribution to architecture, solved the issue of how best to use limited and expensive space.

Flatiron Building - 1902

SkyscrapersPositive Effects

They help solve problems with population growth and housing especially in large cities with limited land.

They take up little ground space as compared to their total area of living space.

They are generally more energy efficient compared to individual buildings.

SkyscrapersNegative Effects

Skyscrapers can block natural breezes

They block sunlight that would otherwise hit the ground.

They create unnatural wind patterns.

They trap air pollution near the street

Large size skyscrapers would produce a lot of waste when demolished.

Steel-tipped Plow

The steel-tipped plow was invented in 1837 by John Deere. He designed the first cast steel plow that greatly assisted the Great Plains farmers.

Steel-tipped PlowPositive Effects

Helped till the ground and made planting easier.

Increased food production.

Steel-tipped PlowNegative Effects

Left the ground pulverized and was a large contributor to the Dust Bowl.

Airplanes In the early 20th

century, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, experimented with engines and aircrafts. They built a biplane and on December 17, 1903, they flew it for 12 seconds over 120 feet. Two years later, they were making 30 minute flights and by 1920, the U.S. was using airmail flights regularly.

Wright Brother’s first flight

AirplanesPositive Effects

Fastest way to transport people and cargo

Safest way to travel Can bring food and medicine to

hard to reach areas Reduces the amount of cars on

the road

AirplanesNegative Effects

They burn a huge amount of fuel in the air which causes pollution

People who live near airports have problems with air pollution

Effects the ozone layer and may cause global warming