Post Modern world 1945-now
Late modern world 1780-1945 (from French revolution)
Early modern world (the Renaissance) 1450-1780
The first, literally my history, and where I have obviously witnessed so much change - especially in the UK. The other periods I have come across more than earlier ones in my reading, and where perhaps so much happened to advance progress, but no essential expertise as to such.
So, as to the first:
Like, not even having a TV in the house (as a child); listening to the (valve) radio quite a lot (even having had a crystal set (with headphones) - and where a mouse made its home in the valve radio); having food rationing until 1954 (and hence obesity being very rare); where the (suburban) roads were relatively safe to play on (cars not so common - and my parents never having had one).
Where smog sometimes appeared (London); where religious differences didn't seem to be a problem, although with an influx of migrants, racist attitudes were common (toward blacks), and where even the N-word was seemingly acceptable in a Dylan song (but understandable because of the context); where I did a lot of cycling to explore around London and its environs; where caning at school was common (especially for me!); where a mangle was used to wring water out before hanging clothes to dry in the garden; where refrigerators were not so common (not in our house, as per washing machine); where the local library was well-used - as were the local cinemas (four close by); having one good friend at school whose parents did have a car and who were relatively well off (Father an inspector at Bow Street police station in London) - such that we often went for days out, or to TV audience shows together (Arthur Askey being one).
Where, as a family, we often went on day-trips to the seaside or various amusements (zoos, funfairs, etc. - Battersea being one favourite, and the Roy Rogers and Trigger Show being another): where I can remember visiting the 1951 Festival of Britain exhibition (Dome of Discovery and Skylon) but not much else (aged five); where I can remember being in the crowd to witness the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953); at school we would use logarithm tables (then slide-rules at college); bought one of the earliest available computers (Amstrad 6128), which did actually have a disk drive and colour monitor (mid 1980s); used the earliest examples of the internet (with screeching modem connecting); until 1967/8 homosexuality was illegal but now all changed, and the atmosphere much better in my view; from some TV programmes, it appears that the relationships between kids and teachers is more relaxed, even if life overall might be more stressful for the kids - all the new technology for example; where equality for females in most spheres eventually became more normal - even if some way to go still; seeing the first hovercraft being tested at the Isle of Wight - whilst on holiday there. Etc.
I have posted this before - as to scientific and technological developments occurring during my life.
The end of trams and trolley buses; Transistor invented - valve devices are mostly history; First use of nuclear power for electricity generation and propulsion systems; The nature of DNA discovered; Development of the Hydrogen bomb; The development of psycho-pharmaceutical drugs; Widespread adoption of TV, and colour TV later; First satellites launched; Development of the integrated circuit; Greater adoption of car ownership; Change from steam to diesel trains; Fading out of steam locomotives altogether; Development of the hovercraft and the hydrofoil; Last common use of the horse and cart in the UK; Polio vaccine developed; Birth control pill developed; Jet airliner developed; Development of the heart pacemaker; First human in space; Full understanding of Plate Tectonics developed; Pulsars and Gamma-ray bursts discovered; The laser developed; Widespread adoption of audio recording technology; First man on the moon; World's first solar power station built;
Development of fibre optics for communications; Widespread use of credit cards; First supersonic passenger aeroplane in service; Advent of portable music players; First use of IVF; Widespread use of microwave ovens; Development of the Scanning Tunnelling microscope; First home computers available; Widespread use of plane travel; Development and use of satellites, planetary probes, space vehicles, space telescopes, and space stations; First CT and MRI scanners developed; Development of DNA fingerprinting; First CD players, digital music, and video-taping technology; Development of DNA testing; First eradication of a disease (smallpox); Advent of digital photography; Development of the internet; Widespread use of GPS systems and associated mapping technology; Development of cruise missiles using GPS technology;
First animal cloned (Dolly, the sheep); First transplants of human organs and limbs; Development of solar cell and wind technology; Development of laptop computers and similar devices; Human genome mapped; Development of surround-sound systems; Further development of portable music players; Widespread use of mobile phones and smartphones; Widespread use of cashless payment systems; Widespread use of radio time-keeping; LHC particle accelerator built; Development of virtual reality technology; Development of 3D TV; Widespread adoption of internet shopping; Widespread use of Social Networks on the internet and via mobiles; Development of cochlear implants to overcome deafness; Development of robotic systems and autonomous automobiles; Discovery that planetary objects, such as exoplanets and moons, are very common; 3D printing developed;
Development of streaming services as regarding music and video; Development of LED lighting; Development of Bluetooth and noise-cancelling technology; Automated check-outs introduced; Development of electric and hybrid automobiles; Development of drones - for surveillance and as weapons of war; Laser weapons developed; Gene editing developed using Crispr: Gravitational waves detected for first time; Development of hydrofoil systems in yachting, especially in competitions such as the America's Cup, and as to catamarans and trimarans; Genetic testing as to ancestry or predisposition to various diseases available; Development of personal jet packs; Development of facial and audio recognition technology; Development of robotic surgery; Development of AI systems, especially LLMs, and as to deep-faking imagery and sounds, and as to enhancing science in many ways; Development of intelligent artificial limbs; First image of a black hole captured; Development of quantum computer technology.
