Republic of the Philippines

Bulacan State University

City of Malolos, Bulacan
Tel/Fax (044) 791-0153

Science, Technology, and Society

THE LATE
MODERN AGES
(1700-1900)

By:

PALMARIA, Aizel E.
PAULINO, Yana Ysabel E.
PORCIUNCULA, Erome C.
RAMOS, Jhon Kien Anjelo S.
RAMOS, Marjorie C.
REYES, Chris John G.

1 |Pa ge
Introduction

Modern Ages

The Modern Age or modernity is a wide span of time marked in part by technological
innovations, urbanization, scientific discoveries, and globalization.

Two parts of Modern Age

1. Early Modern Period
2. Late modern Period

(In this presentation we will focus on the introduction and contribution of the Late Modern Age
in Science and Technology.)

Late Modern Age

The Late Modern Age was approximately started in the mid-18th century that was inspired by
European avant-garde immigrants (people or works that are experimental, radical, or
unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society) and dominated by American innovations
that sparked by the Industrial Revolution which describes a movement that trends in
Information Technology Support (ITS) and modernism that began in England around 1750,
combined with the American Revolution in 1776 and the French Revolution in 1789, marked
the beginning of massive changes in the world.

2 |Pa ge
Contributions in Science and Technology

1. Penicillin
Discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 by
noticing a bacteria-filled Petri dish in his
laboratory which then contaminated with
mold, wherein the bacteria on it was killed that
turns out to be the fungus Penicillium then
later on emerged on the development of the
antibiotic, Penicillin, that greatly fights the
bacterial infections in humans.

2. Telephone

While researching ways to teach the deaf,

Alexander Graham Bell experimented with
transmitting sound via electricity, enabling him
to invent the first electronic telephone in 1876
where it transmitted sounds involving a needle
which vibrates in the water causing the electric
current to change where this alteration
channels the sound which afterwards evolves extraordinarily in the contemporary with
the introduction of mobile phones.

3. Phonograph

Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, as he

found that sound could be captured and
replayed using a rotating cylinder covered with
paraffin paper and a stylus. Edison created this
machine with two needles: one for recording
and one for playback which when he spoke into

3 |Pa ge
 the mouthpiece, the sound vibrations of his voice would be indented onto the cylinder
by the recording needle that successively had a great impact on how we listen to
music today portably.

4. Motor Car

In 1898 the German engineer Karl Benz

produced the first modern automobile using a
patented internal combustion engine. The car
used electrical ignition, a water-cooled internal
combustion engine and different gears. Within
a few decades, motor cars initiated different
electric and motor transportation that the
people today conveniently used to travel in many different places.

5. Kodak

First simple box camera invented and marketed

by George Eastman in 1888 that came loaded
with a 100-exposure roll of film which reloaded it
to the factory when the roll was expended
together with the entire machine and returned it
to the customer after. That throughout the years
become a very functional thing, as it is
continuous to innovate as a camera, digital and film markets.

4 |Pa ge
 6. Pasteurization

Pasteurization was developed by Louis

Pasteur in 1864. This is a heat-treatment
process that destroys pathogenic
microorganisms in certain foods and
beverages. He demonstrated that substances
in wine, beer, and milk can produce growth of
bacteria. Through this invention, the
temperature is determined to destroy mycobacterium tuberculosis and other more
heat-resistant, non-spore-forming, disease causing microorganism found in the
beverages. The treatment also prolongs the storage time of food.

7. Velocipedes
Velocipedes (Bicycle) were invented early in
the nineteenth century, 1885. Penny Farthing
was known with its big wheel at that time. The
name came from the idea that wheels is
resembled by two coins, the penny and the
farthing next to each other, the former
significantly larger than the latter. This bicycle
was unstable, difficult to ride, and the front
wheel was used for power and steering. It was later on considered as not an ideal
type of machine. In the advancement in bike technology today, a chain that links to
the pedals back to the wheel was introduced. This gave higher speed without
relying to the huge wheel. The key model in the chain bike was the Rover Safety
bike developed by John Kemp Starley.

5 |Pa ge
8. Transatlantic Telegram

Transatlantic Telegram was made by Guglielmo

Marconi in 1901. This technology is the first
long-distance wireless connection. Marconi
began experimenting with electromagnetic
waves to send signals. At that time, telegraph
wire was the quickest way to send messages.
He designed a transmitter to send and receive
detected radio waves. Marconi proved that the wireless messages, presently known as
radio, could be sent across the Atlantic using Morse code. This technology played a part
in the biggest news story of 1912. The wireless telegraph sent an SOS signal from the
sinking Titanic. To this day, the telegram was very much the internet of its day. It
revolutionized communication in a similar way, bringing the world much closer.

9. X-Ray Machines

X-Ray Machines were discovered by Wilhelm

Conrad Roentgen in 1895. While working with a
cathode-ray tube in his laboratory, he observed
a fluorescent glow of crystals on a table near his
tube. Roentgen was experimenting with positive
and negative electrodes encapsulated in glass
envelope (bulb) at that time. He noticed that the
air in the tube produces the glow and as shielded by the tube with heavy black paper, a
discovery of a green colored fluorescent light was generated a few feet away from the
tube. Later on, Roentgen concluded that the new ray could pass through most substances
casting shadows of solid objects and tissue of humans, but not bones and metal objects.

6 |Pa ge
10. Airplane

Wright Flyer of 1903, is the first successful

airplane that demonstrated a sustained flight
under a full control of a pilot. It was designed and
built by Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright. This
airplane was extremely strong yet flexible braced
biplane structure. The wings were a twin-surface
horizontal elevator, and the rear was a twin-
surface vertical rudder. The wing spars and other long, straight sections of the craft were
constructed of spruce, while the wing ribs and other bent or shaped pieces were built of
ash. A woven muslin cloth was used to cover the aerodynamic surface. The flyer was
propelled by a four-cylinder gasoline engine of the Wrights’ own design that developed
some 12.5 horsepower after the first few seconds of operation. The engine was linked
through a chain-drive transmission to twin contrarotating pusher propellers, which it turned
at an average speed of 348 rotations per minute. Within a few years, airplanes were
successfully navigating long distances and soon began to transform both wartime and
global travel.

11. Vacuum
Electric Vacuum Cleaner was invented by James
Murray Spanger in 1908. This is a machine that
revolutionized household carpet cleaning. The
first model used a broomstick, pillow and a box
containing electric motor and fan. Spangler's
vacuum cleaner was the first to use both a cloth
filter bag and cleaning attachments. He improved
this basic model and received a patent for it in 1908. William Hoover helped finance its
development for the mass market. Under the Hoover name, Spangler's original vacuum
was continually improved in the twentieth century. Today, the Hoover Company is a multi-
million-dollar business and common household name.
7 |Pa ge
12. Achromatic lens
In the early 1758, Dolland invents the first ever
achromatic lens. The achromatic doublet was
first patented by John Dollond. It is well known,
however, that he was not the first to create such
lenses. Achromatic lenses, also known as
achromats, are lenses that are designed to
reduce the effects of chromatic and spherical
aberration. Two wavelengths are brought into focus on the same plane by achromatic
lenses. Dollond seems to have been aware of the prior work and chose not to enforce
his patent.The invention helps a lot of scientists throughout the years; it helps the world
to discover certain things such as the cells, viruses, etc. In the modern era, the
technology is still being used by a lot of people, it is still helping many discoveries and
the invention is still improving and getting better as time goes by.

13. Sextant

Captain John Campbell of the Royal Navy

proposed the creation of the sextant, an
instrument for calculating angles, in 1757. At the
end of the 18th century, those advocating the
use of lunar distances, or "lunars," for
determining longitude sparked the invention of
the sextant. A sextant has two mirrors, one for
the horizon and one for the index. The horizon mirror is half silvered, allowing you to
see the horizon through the clear part while still seeing the reflection of the celestial
body mirrored in the silvered portion.Sextant is still in use in the modern times, the
invention of the sextant largely impacted sea navigation during the Age of Exploration,
while also continuing to be a significant device for modern day seafaring travel.

8 |Pa ge
14. The first English language dictionary

In 1755, Samuel Johnson publishes the first

English language dictionary on April 15th after
nine years of writing. In the preface Samuel
Johnson wrote, "I am not so lost in lexicography
as to forget that words are the daughters of earth,
and that things are the sons of heaven."
However, in the modern world, Johnson's
dictionary is most notable for stimulating lexicography, elevating the prestige and
interest of the dictionary as a literary and cultural product, and spawning new
dictionary genres.

15. Lightning Rod

In 1752, Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning

rod. In 1752, Franklin mounted a horse and flew
a key-adorned kite, ready to prove his innocence.
Under stormy skies, the two danced about until
the charged atmosphere energized the main and
confirmed his suspicions. Later, Franklin applied
his lightning-rod concept to ships, including
British warships, which were equipped with anchor chains extending from the tops of
their wooden masts to the shore. Today, Franklin’s lightning rods are known by many
names: air terminals, finials, lightning conductors, or strike-termination devices among
them. The invention helps a lot of people to know more about how to conduct
electricity from the thunders can turn into a human’s source of energy.

9 |Pa ge
16. Zeolites

In1756, Axel Cronstedt noticed steam when he

boils a rock—and discovers zeolites. His discovery
sparked a study of natural zeolites' chemical,
physical, and mineralogical properties. The
discovery helps a lot of scientist discover more and
study more about the minerals that can be found in
the zeolites and what are the chemicals are on it.

10 | P a g
e
References:
• Cultural Periods. (n.d). Understanding Media And Culture.
https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/1-6-cultural-periods/
• Hass, A. (n.d). Design History. 1.7 Late Modern.
https://opentextbc.ca/graphicdesign/chapter/1-7-late-modern/
• Biography Online. (2020, March 5). Great Inventions The Changed The World.
https://www.biographyonline.net/scientists/modern-inventions.html
• Fineman, M. (2004, October). Kodak And The Rise Amateur Photography.
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kodk/hd_kodk.htm
• Americas Library. (n.d.) Edison Invents The Phonograph.
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/edison/aa_edison_phonograph_1.html
• Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2021, May 4). Pasteurization. Encyclopædia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/pasteurization.
• History of the Bicycle: A timeline. (n.d.).
https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7083.html#
:~:text=1870%2D%20Penny%20Farthing%20bicycle%20invented,used%20for%20po
wer%20and%20steering.
• Shedden, B. D., Shedden, D., Shedden, D. S. M. by D., Shedden, M. by D., Jones, T.,
Grau, M., Edmonds, R., Tompkins, A., & Kertscher, T. (2014, December 11).
Today in Media History: In the late 1890s Marconi helped invent wireless news.
Poynter. https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2014/today-in-media-history-in-the-
late-1890s-marconi-helped-invent-wireless-
news/#:~:text=Although%20inventor%20Guglielmo%20Marconi%20created,be%20sen
t%20across%20the%20Atlantic.
• History of Radiography. Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques : Radiography. (n.d.).
https://www.nde-
ed.org/NDETechniques/Radiography/Introduction/history.xhtml#:~:text=X%2Drays%20
were%20discovered%20in,a%20table%20near%20his%20tube.
• NIHF Inductee James Spangler Invented the Portable Vacuum Cleaner. (n.d.).
https://www.invent.org/inductees/james-murray-spangler.
• (2021, March 16) John Dolland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dollond
• Willoz-Egnor, J. (n.d). Sextant with scale.
http://www.mariner.org/exhibitions/highlights/scientific_brasssextant.php
• (2021, April 9). A Dictionary Of The English Language.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language
• Tricoles, R. (2017, Aug 31). The Thunderstorm Whisperers.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/the-thunderstorm-
whisperers/538605/
• Margeta, K. and Farkaš, A. (2020, July 22). Introductory Chapter: Zeolites - From
Discovery to New Applications on the Global Market, Zeolites - New Challenges,
Karmen Margeta and Anamarija Farkaš. https://www.intechopen.com/books/zeolites-
new-challenges/introductory-chapter-zeolites-from-discovery-to-new-applications-on-
the-global-market

11 | P a g
e
12 | P a g
e