America History between 1877-1990. Need something science related.

In summary, Saladsamurai suggests researching the impact of various electronic, scientific, and technological innovations on American Society between 1877 and 1990. He also mentions the Scopes trial and the role of Nazi Germany in the mass exodus of German citizens to the United States in the 1930s and 1940s.
  • #1
um0123
152
0
So in my history class i am being asked to write an 5 page research paper on anything that has impacted American Society culturally, economocially, socially, etc.

It can be on anything from baseball to jazz to the atomic bomb. It just has to have had a major impact on America between 1877 and 1990.

I would like to do something physics related (since I am planning on majoring in physics in college) but i don't know exactly how to specify my thesis. It can't just be on the evolution of physics over that time period because that's too broad, at the same time is has to have had a major impact on American Society.

Any suggestions?
 
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  • #2
um0123 said:
So in my history class i am being asked to write an 5 page research paper on anything that has impacted American Society culturally, economocially, socially, etc.

It can be on anything from baseball to jazz to the atomic bomb. It just has to have had a major impact on America between 1877 and 1990.

I would like to do something physics related (since I am planning on majoring in physics in college) but i don't know exactly how to specify my thesis. It can't just be on the evolution of physics over that time period because that's too broad, at the same time is has to have had a major impact on American Society.

Any suggestions?

Well, if it were me, I would probably like to research the impact of Electronic Computers (like Colossus or ENIAC). Maybe the development of the transistor.
 
  • #3
I am pretty sure there was this crazy German guy with whacky hair that did something with physics during that time period...
 
  • #4
Saladsamurai said:
I am pretty sure there was this crazy German guy with whacky hair that did something with physics during that time period...

yes, i have already thought about the manhatten project. The problem is, we literally JUST wrote a position paper on "was the dropping of the atomic bomb justified" which went into detail about how the development of nuclear warfare impacted america.

I would do something on relativity but that didn't really impact american culture and society. I mean even today the average american has no idea what the theory of relativity really means.
 
  • #5
The space program was huge, and it especially impacted American society.
 
  • #6
LASER
Telephone
Electrical power
Radio
Television
Electric light
 
  • #7
If I'm not mistaken um0123, I believe Saladsamurai was referring to someone else, namely Albert Einstein.
 
  • #8
Bell Labs!
intranets
 
  • #9
Also another important detial to this essay is not just what happened, but how it came to be. So for example instead of just "was the dropping of the atomic bomb justified" i would go into detail answering "how was the decision made" and such.

How would i include that into an essay on Bell Labs for example (which btw is a great idea, considering i have a teacher that worked there for 15 years and i can interview him).
 
  • #10
um0123 said:
How would i include that into an essay on Bell Labs for example
Well, what's the story you want to tell about Bell Labs? When you dive into its history, you'll find all sorts of factors at play for most every critical part of its history. You can get at the factors by asking "who, what, where, when, why, how?" Poke and prod at those factors and you should end up figuring out the angle you want to take for your spin on Bell Lab's history. By the way, that angle is your thesis.
 
  • #11
what about josiah willard gibbs & vector analysis. maybe he didn't have the same significance for american society as the manhattan project or the moon landing but he did a lot for math
 
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  • #12
Sounds good, I am definitely putting bell labs on my list of considerations. Since the proposition isn't due till next friday i would love to get as many suggestions as you guys have. So keep 'em coming!

Thank you.
 
  • #13
DARPA (along the same lines as bell labs)
Kodak and developments in photography (chemistry and optics)
Microsoft/ shift from mainframes to PCs
scientific agencies/funding: NSF, NIH, NASA, NOAA, DOE, etc.
Biology, but the Scopes trial
 
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  • #14
or the role of nazis in the mass exodus from germany (& mostly to the US) in the 1930s & afterwards. IAS @ Princeton & the Courant Inst @ NYU, for example, were modeled after the Mathematics Institute @ Gottingen (iirc)
 
  • #15
The only science related topic I can think of, not already mentioned, is the "Current Wars" between Edison and Westinghouse. Probably simply because it is something I found particularly interesting myself.
 
  • #16
fourier jr said:
or the role of nazis in the mass exodus from germany (& mostly to the US) in the 1930s & afterwards. IAS @ Princeton & the Courant Inst @ NYU, for example, were modeled after the Mathematics Institute @ Gottingen (iirc)

Or the role of Wernher von Braun and other "paperclips" in the Space Race after the war:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip

Not saying they were evil monster (or noble angels, for that matter--the V2s were built with slave labour, that von Braun http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun#Slave_labour", don't use that as source reference if you pursue this line, but you can find plenty of histiography out there that'd be better) but a fascinating chapter from your nation's history (technological and otherwise).
 
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  • #17
I second the suggestion of the LASER. Every disk player is itself proof, on so many levels, that what we know about the quantum model is correct.
 
  • #18
TheStatutoryApe said:
The only science related topic I can think of, not already mentioned, is the "Current Wars" between Edison and Westinghouse. Probably simply because it is something I found particularly interesting myself.

I've like that too. Edison and Tesla

light bulb--1879

or the radio war ---Marconi and Tesla

soda pop

Henry Ford
 
  • #19
um0123 said:
yes, i have already thought about the manhatten project. The problem is, we literally JUST wrote a position paper on "was the dropping of the atomic bomb justified" which went into detail about how the development of nuclear warfare impacted america.

I would do something on relativity but that didn't really impact american culture and society. I mean even today the average american has no idea what the theory of relativity really means.

Aside from his letter to Roosevelt, Einstein had little to do with the Manhattan Project.
 
  • #20
Chi Meson said:
I second the suggestion of the LASER. Every disk player is itself proof, on so many levels, that what we know about the quantum model is correct.
The Laser is one of Bell Labs inventions. You wouldn't believe what came out of Bell Labs.

This link shows just some of the discoveries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs skip to Discoveries and developments

But don't forget that since the lab was split the part that went to AT&T has a huge amount of invention also http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/about/backgrounder.html go to An Unsurpassed Record of Achievement
 
  • #21
um0123 said:
Also another important detial to this essay is not just what happened, but how it came to be. So for example instead of just "was the dropping of the atomic bomb justified" i would go into detail answering "how was the decision made" and such.

How would i include that into an essay on Bell Labs for example (which btw is a great idea, considering i have a teacher that worked there for 15 years and i can interview him).
Just pick three of their contributions/inventions = three paragraphs explaining how each contribution changed the American society

Thesis will be written once you decide which three you want to focus on and determine how those inventions contributed to the society/culture

Should better be reviewing your English course notes. I don't remember all the types of thesis, but some are like Cause, Effect.. Point 1, 2, 3, ...
 
  • #22
The Transistor.
 
  • #23
Here's another vote for something Tesla-related. Everybody hears about Edison, nobody knows about Tesla.
 
  • #24
Jack21222 said:
Here's another vote for something Tesla-related. Everybody hears about Edison, nobody knows about Tesla.

Funny thing is I think that there are more people who know something about Tesla than know anything more about Edison than his name. Tesla is a rockstar among inventors.
 
  • #25
TheStatutoryApe said:
Funny thing is I think that there are more people who know something about Tesla than know anything more about Edison than his name. Tesla is a rockstar among inventors.
Actually Swan invented the lightbulb, Edison just bought the patent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan
 
  • #26
Evo said:
Actually Swan invented the lightbulb, Edison just bought the patent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan

I have admittedly never read a book specifically about Edison but from what I have read I would say that he was, first and foremost, a very shrewd businessman.
 
  • #27
TheStatutoryApe said:
I have admittedly never read a book specifically about Edison but from what I have read I would say that he was, first and foremost, a very shrewd businessman.

If I remember right, 'shrewd businessman' wasn't the way Tesla described him---more like a thief



steel and concrete construction--which allowed for 'skyscrapers' ----kind of a funny word in itself
 
  • #28
Cars.
 
  • #29
It's not science-related, but the development of modern forms of peanut butter happened early in your time-frame. It is a very popular food, and its popularity (along with the popularity of roasted nuts) helps drive peanut-farming in the South. George Washington Carver encouraged farmers to plant peanuts instead of cotton, or at least rotated with cotton because cotton depletes soil of nitrogen, and peanuts fix nitrogen in the soil.
 

1. How did advancements in technology impact American history between 1877-1990?

The period between 1877-1990 saw significant advancements in technology that greatly impacted American history. The introduction of electricity, automobiles, and telephones revolutionized the way people lived and worked. These advancements led to economic growth, increased productivity, and improved standards of living for many Americans.

2. What were the major scientific breakthroughs during this time period in America?

Some of the major scientific breakthroughs during this time period include the discovery of penicillin, the development of the atomic bomb, and the first human landing on the moon. These breakthroughs not only had a huge impact on American society but also changed the course of history for the entire world.

3. How did the Great Depression and World War II influence scientific research and development in America?

The Great Depression and World War II had a significant impact on scientific research and development in America. The government invested heavily in scientific projects, such as the Manhattan Project, to develop new technologies that could aid in the war effort. This led to advancements in fields such as nuclear physics, medicine, and rocketry.

4. How did the civil rights movement impact scientific progress in America during this time period?

The civil rights movement had a profound impact on scientific progress in America. It brought attention to issues of racial and gender discrimination in the scientific community and led to efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in science. This helped to create a more diverse and innovative scientific workforce in America.

5. How did the Cold War affect scientific research and development in America?

The Cold War had a major influence on scientific research and development in America. The competition between the US and the Soviet Union led to a race to develop new technologies and explore outer space. This led to advancements in fields such as aerospace, computer science, and medicine. However, it also fueled concerns about the potential dangers of nuclear weapons and the ethical implications of scientific research.

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