 |
| image source |
Here’s a look at a few tech innovations that were born in the USA and have since proliferated all around the globe.
AOL Software Suite
Arguably the most historically significant US tech export, AOL’s legendary software suite gave people around the world access -- for the first time––to the World Wide Web. Remember those blue and gold CD-ROM drives that used to always arrive in the mail? Well, they were being shipped out all around the world. At its peak, AOL had 34 million global subscribers, and its stock exceeded $226 billion.The Cell Phone
Despite the Japanese-sounding name, Motorola is actually an American company. The name means ‘sound in motion.’ In 1983, the company began selling the world’s first commercial cell phone, the DynaTAC, which retailed for nearly $4000 at the time. It was quickly followed by cheaper and smaller models developed by Motorola and sold globally. Today, the cell phone market has grown to be a many billion dollar annual industry; but it all began with a single innovative American export.Polaroid
Between 1948 and 2008, Polaroid sold millions of cameras and millions of tons of its iconic film. For nearly twenty years, the company had a huge monopoly over the instant photography business, and in its height employed an estimated 21,000 people. During that era, it exported and sold 20% of the instant film in the world.The iPod
Needless to say, epically successful US technological exports are not merely a thing of the past. Apple has more than proven that point. As of January 2011, Apple is reputed to have sold approximately 304 million iPods throughout the world. The company has almost 400 stores in 13 countries, and continues to expand.The Automobile
When it comes to the proliferation of American technology throughout the world, who could forget the most iconic American technology of all: the automobile. It was invented in the US by Henry Ford at the turn of the century, and has been steadily exported throughout the world ever since. Today, Ford Motor Company is the fifth largest auto manufacturer in the world and has major subsidiaries in India, Europe, Australia, and Brasil.
As might be apparent from the list, most of which is historical, the US seems to be declining in recent years as an exportation powerhouse. This has been due to many causes, but foremost amongst them are tight restrictions on high-tech exportation by the federal government and the steady decline of engineering degrees being issued in American universities. However, there is still a great deal of technology being invented in the US and disseminated throughout the world, and one can only speculate as to what the next big worldwide success will be.
This article was written by the technology team at Ladbrokes Games.Related Posts:
The Bane of Technology
Super Science - A Science Song
Teaching Earth Science: Its Challenges and Rewards
Helping Students Gain Access to Technology