The 20th Century: How The Industrial Revolution Changed The World

Out of the 20th century came major advancements in political philosophy, technology, and medicine, behind which were intelligent, resilient, and creative people. However, it can be said that there are three remarkable people who during this century changed the world forever. One influenced the Industrial Revolution; another stumbled on a cure for an array of diseases. The last discovered an equation that would indirectly cause the creation of a weapon of mass destruction. Although many impacted society during the 20th century, Henry Ford, Alexander Fleming, and Albert Einstein were and continue to be notable influences on the world.

Before the 1700’s, material goods were handmade; the process of making products by hand took large amounts of time, and mass production was virtually impossible. Henry Ford began using assembly lines to create interchangeable parts to make automobiles which made it possible to create cars that were accessible to ordinary people (Biography.com). Other companies followed suit, and soon factories replaced small shops and began

During one of his experiments, Alexander Fleming noticed a bacteria free ring in a plate of staphylococci bacteria. In the middle of the ring was a type of mold that had accidentally developed (“Sir Alexander Fleming”). He named the mold penicillin and used it to create antibiotics. These drugs cured and prevented deaths from bacterial infections such as meningitis, syphilis, and gonorrhea. The Allies during World War Two made sure the drug was readily available during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. After the war, penicillin was used by the general public to treat disease (“Discovery and Development”). Swedish magazines state that the number of people saved by Fleming’s discovery was near 200 million (New World Encyclopedia). It is clear that Fleming’s breakthrough was one of the most important in the 20th