Technology
After completing the Grade 10 History course, we can conclude that technology has been drastically changing, and improving the lives of Canadians throughout the 20th century. Technology has also made communication easier. Many great Canadian inventors and innovators have emerged during this time period, especially during the World Wars.
Technology Before-During World War 1
The first decade of the century brought exceptional agricultural development and prosperity, and marked the maturation of the national economy. Before the outbreak of WW1, telephone wires were stretched along streets for the first time and electric street lights were installed for pedestrians. There wasn't much technological advancement during the 1900's, however, during the 1910’s and the First World War many revolutionary advancements were introduced because each side tried to overwhelm the other with superior technology. The internal combustion engine in vehicles and aircraft was improved significantly during the war. As a result, bush planes were developed in the early 1920’s in Canada. This allowed the settlement of the Canadian North which led to the discovery of valuable resources, such as oil, gas, silver, gold, diamonds, across Canada’s North, making Canada prosperous. A piece of technology that has impacted Canadians during the First World War is the Canadian Ross Rifle. It is considered one of the worst failures in Canadian history as Canadian troops were only supplied with Ross Rifles. The rifles easily jammed in muddy conditions and were useless in trench warfare. |
Technology Post World War 1
Automobiles were a luxury in the 1900’s, as they were expensive to build. However, with Henry Ford’s assembly line technology cars quickly became more affordable. By the end of the 1920's, Canadians had registered a massive 1.9 million cars. Production of cars came to a halt when the Great Depression hit and only the richest of the rich could afford gasoline and cars. During the early 1920's, Canadians Dr. Frederick Banting and his assistance, Charles Best, discovered insulin. Before this discovery, most diabetics were most certainly doomed to die. Their breakthrough has helped save the lives of millions of people around the world who suffered with diabetes. Although insulin does not cure diabetes, it is one of the biggest discoveries in medicine and has allowed diabetics to live an almost normal life. Although, telephones had been invented in 1876, they were not widely used in Canada for communication. As a matter of fact, 1 in 4 families had a telephone in the 1920’s, but by the end of the decade this had increased to 3 in 4 families. The popularization of the telephone allowed Canadians to communicate with each other faster and more efficiently than ever before. Radios also became popular during this time as they allowed fast transmission of news and entertainment to millions of people. |
Technology During and Post World War 2
The television first appeared in Canada during the 1938 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. The television was considered a technological marvel that soon became an essential part of home and public entertainment. Although the industrial demands of World War II delayed its mass production, by the late 1940's Americans were beginning to buy television sets and watch the television broadcasts offered by radio stations under the NBC and CBS networks. At the same time, since a majority of Canadians were in range of these signals, they too were purchasing sets, building antennas and tuning in to popular American programs. Electro-thermal dei-cers for aircraft propellers were developed by Canadian scientists, an invention to improve the safety of air travel that is still in use today. The technique of cathodic protection of ships' hulls against salt water corrosion developed from work done in Canada during the Second World War. This technology is use to this day and has saved millions of dollars in ship damage. In response to food shortages in Britain, the National Research Council developed successful processes to manufacture better powdered eggs, powdered milk and preserved bacon. These helped solve some of the problems of food transportation and led to the development of some of the powdered and condensed foods in use today. Dr. Norman Bethune was a great Canadian and responsible for developing a blood transfusion service on the front line. His concept of the "mobile medical unit" is responsible for saving thousands of lives of soldiers who fought on the front line. Dr. Bethune also developed 14 new surgical tools (1929-1936), many of which are still in use today. |
Technology from 1950-1980
The Canadian Avro Arrow was considered to be in a class of its own as no other aircraft could match the Arrow's superiority at that time. However, it was scraped as it was too expensive, and the Soviets had launched the first satellite into space. Canada entered the space age 5 years after the Soviets by successfully launching the Alouette 1 into orbit in 1962. Since then satellites have improved communication, oceanography, astronomy and surveillance. Canada has also implemented the Canadarm to many space shuttles, further aiding the US in the space race against the USSR. Personal computers were first developed in 1971, but by the end of the century, approximately 15 million PC's were in use worldwide. The huge popularity of computers allowed them to evolve into useful tools that are found in most if not all households in Canada. There has been much medical advancements during this period. The techniques for the mass production and distribution of vaccines as well as mass public inoculation were introduced during these years. During these years the Montreal Neurological Institute pioneered the development of medical imaging technologies introducing Canada's first CAT scan in 1973, PET scan in 1975 and MRI in 1982. |
Technology from 1981-present
As both of the superpowers tried to overwhelm the other with more sophisticated technology, microchips and microprocessors where developed. A microchip or an integrated circuit is essentially a smaller electric circuit. Microchips are beneficial as they are small, inexpensive and can be utilized in many products. Due to its wide range of applications, microchips are found in many items found in homes such as TV remotes, cell phones, printers, computers, graphing calculators, laptops and many other electronics. Fiber optics has now become widely used in telecommunications. They use glass threads to transmit data. They are popular because they can carry more data than metal cables, they can transmit digital signals (used by computers connected to the Internet), flexible, have low power requirements and don't take up much space. This has allowed Canadians to communicate more efficiently with one another. A large number of medical drugs for treating a wide variety of ailments such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, arthritis, allergies, depression, asthma, and osteoporosis, became available to Canadians during this period. A private company, IVF Canada of Scarborough, was the first to begin offering in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Canada beginning in 1983, which has led to many significant breakthroughs in embryonic stem cell research. The introduction of universal health care in Canada in 1984 also played a key role in impacting many if not all Canadian lives. Canadian citizens have lived longer and healthier lives since the introduction of these new medical practices. |
In conclusion, technology is progressing every day and is making communicating faster and easier. Technology is significantly impacting the lives of all Canadians and will continue to do so in the future. Many have Canadians have contributed to medical breakthroughs and revolutionary technologies.
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By: Div Patel