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Science marches forward, led by
great inventors who changed America and the world. This program focuses on
inventors who revolutionized transportation and those whose medical
discoveries made the world healthier and safer.
On the Go: British train
engineer Richard Trevithick gave the world its first steam railway locomotive
in 1804. By 1930, railroad was the most popular form of transportation
for both people and goods. Henry Ford
was a brilliant mechanic with a vision: He wanted to make cars affordable to
all classes of society, not just the wealthy. In 1907, he installed a moving
assembly line, which not only made autos affordable for almost everyone, but
also reinvented industry.
Wilbur and Orville Wright, who
owned a bicycle shop, made history on December 17, 1903, with their first
flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and changed history because they
preferred wings to wheels. The flight revolution continued when Igor Sikorsky
left the ground for the first time in the first working helicopter in 1939.
Robert Goddard expanded our knowledge of the universe with his invention of
the modern rocket.
Medical Milestones: Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen unlocked
the hidden secrets of DNA with genetic engineering, opening the way for the
development of new drugs and increased food production, as well as
cloning. Alexander Fleming discovered
penicillin, revolutionized medical treatment, and won the Nobel Prize in 1945.
Charles Drew pioneered blood banks by developing a new way to house plasma.
He was also the first African-American surgeon appointed to the American
Board of Surgery. Finally, Jonas Salk
developed the polio vaccine, which was pronounced effective in 1955. He
became known as the man who saved the children by ridding the world of polio.
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