Technology cycle four library innovations
Innovations listing Installation through Deployment Periods
I. AUTOMOBILES
Installation Period (1908-1929)
1908 – Ford Model T Introduction Revolutionary affordable automobile that established mass market for cars, featuring 20-horsepower four-cylinder engine, two-speed transmission, and high chassis design for rural roads Henry Ford / Ford Motor Company 1908
1908 – Moving Assembly Line Development Systematic moving assembly line production that reduced Model T assembly time from 12.5 hours to 93 minutes, combining interchangeable parts with subdivided labor and fluid movement of materials Henry Ford and team including Peter Martin, Charles Sorensen / Ford Motor Company 1913 (perfected from 1908 experiments)
1911 – Electric Starter System Eliminated hand-crank starting mechanism, making automobiles accessible to wider population including women drivers Charles Kettering / Cadillac 1911
1914 – All-Steel Car Body First complete steel automobile body construction, providing greater safety and durability than wood-frame construction Dodge Brothers 1914
1918 – Hydraulic Brakes First hydraulic shock absorbers and braking systems, dramatically improving vehicle safety and control Duesenberg / M. Houdaille (France) 1918
1920s – Power Steering Development Enhanced vehicle maneuverability, reducing physical effort required for steering Chrysler Corporation 1926
1928 – Car Radio Introduction First automotive radio systems, transforming the driving experience and creating mobile entertainment Galvin Manufacturing Corporation (later Motorola) 1930
Turning Point & Deployment Periods (1929-1974)
1934 – Streamlined Automotive Design Aerodynamic vehicle design with wind-tunnel testing, all-steel bodies, and advanced styling exemplified by Chrysler Airflow Chrysler Corporation 1934
1939 – Automatic Transmission Hydra-Matic transmission with fluid coupling, eliminating manual clutch operation General Motors / Chrysler 1939
1948 – Independent Suspension Advanced suspension systems providing improved ride quality and handling Various manufacturers led by Citroën 1948
1958 – Cruise Control Automatic speed control system for maintaining constant vehicle velocity Chrysler Imperial 1958
1966 – Air Conditioning Climate control systems making automobile travel comfortable in all weather conditions Chrysler 1966
II. OIL & PETROLEUM
Installation Period (1908-1929)
1910 – Thermal Cracking Process Enhanced refining process to increase gasoline yield from crude oil, developed as automobile fuel demand overtook kerosene Standard Oil engineers 1910
1911 – Standard Oil Breakup Supreme Court antitrust ruling fragmenting oil monopoly into 34 competing companies, spurring innovation and competition US Supreme Court 1911
1913 – First Modern Gas Station Dedicated automotive fuel retail infrastructure with standardized pumps and service Gulf Oil / Pittsburgh 1913
1920s – Midstream Infrastructure Comprehensive pipeline, port, railroad and storage systems enabling nationwide petroleum distribution and refinery consolidation Various oil companies 1920s
1920s – Tetraethyl Lead Gasoline Anti-knock additive increasing engine performance and efficiency Thomas Midgley Jr. / General Motors 1921
Deployment Period (1943-1974)
1930s-1950s – Catalytic Cracking Advanced refining technology dramatically increasing gasoline production efficiency Eugene Houdry 1936
1938 – Saudi Arabian Oil Discovery Discovery of massive Middle Eastern oil reserves fundamentally reshaping global energy geopolitics Standard Oil of California (Chevron) 1938
1947 – Offshore Drilling Large-scale offshore oil extraction beginning with Caspian Sea operations Various companies / Azerbaijan 1947
1960 – OPEC Formation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries created to coordinate oil production and pricing policies Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela 1960
III. STEEL INDUSTRY
Installation Period (1908-1929)
1912 – Continuous Steel Casting Advanced steel production methods enabling higher quality and increased production rates Various steel companies 1912
1915 – Electric Arc Furnace Electric steel production technology providing precise temperature control and specialty steel capabilities Various steel manufacturers 1915
1920s – Alloy Steel Development Specialized steel compositions for automotive, aircraft, and industrial applications Various metallurgical companies 1920s
Deployment Period (1943-1974)
1943-1945 – Wartime Steel Innovation Rapid steel production techniques and specialty alloys for military applications including armor plating Various steel companies 1943
1950s – Basic Oxygen Process Revolutionary steelmaking process dramatically reducing production time and costs Austrian steel companies 1952
1960s – Continuous Casting Advanced steel production eliminating intermediate processing steps Various steel manufacturers 1960s
IV. PETROCHEMICALS
Installation Period (1908-1929)
1909 – Synthetic Ammonia Process Haber-Bosch process enabling large-scale fertilizer and explosives production Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch / BASF 1909
1920s – Early Plastics Development Phenolic resins and early polymer chemistry Leo Baekeland / Bakelite Corporation 1920s
Deployment Period (1943-1974)
1930s-1940s – Synthetic Rubber Development of synthetic rubber for military and civilian applications during WWII Various chemical companies 1940s
1950s-1960s – Advanced Polymers Engineered polymers, block copolymers, polyesters and polyurethanes revolutionizing manufacturing Major chemical corporations 1950s-1960s
1960s – Petrochemical Integration Integrated petroleum refining and chemical production complexes Various petrochemical companies 1960s
V. AVIATION
Installation Period (1908-1929)
1903-1920s – Powered Flight Development Evolution from Wright Flyer to reliable aircraft for military and civilian use Wright Brothers and aviation pioneers 1903-1920s
1918 – Airmail Service Commercial aviation applications beginning with postal service US Postal Service 1918
1927 – Transatlantic Flight Solo non-stop transatlantic flight demonstrating aviation’s long-distance potential Charles Lindbergh 1927
Deployment Period (1943-1974)
1939 – Jet Engine Development Turbojet engine technology revolutionizing aircraft performance Frank Whittle (UK) / Hans von Ohain (Germany) 1939
1947 – Sound Barrier Breaking sound barrier with rocket-powered aircraft Chuck Yeager / Bell X-1 1947
1958 – Commercial Jet Service Introduction of passenger jet aircraft for commercial aviation Boeing 707 / de Havilland Comet 1958
1969 – Boeing 747 Introduction Wide-body jumbo jet enabling mass air travel Boeing Company 1969
VI. MASS PRODUCTION & ELECTRONICS
Installation Period (1908-1929)
1913 – Assembly Line Perfection Moving belt conveyor system reducing flywheel magneto assembly from 18 to 5 minutes, then applied to automotive production Henry Ford and engineers 1913
1914 – $5 Day Wage Revolutionary wage increase creating consumer base for mass-produced goods Henry Ford 1914
1920s – Radio Mass Production Mass production of consumer electronics enabling widespread communication Various electronics manufacturers 1920s
Deployment Period (1943-1974)
1947 – Transistor Invention Solid-state electronics enabling miniaturization and reliability improvements Bell Laboratories 1947
1958 – Integrated Circuit Microchip technology enabling complex electronic systems in small packages Jack Kilby / Texas Instruments 1958
1960s – Automation Integration Introduction of industrial robots like Unimate for manufacturing automation George Devol / Unimation 1961
1971 – Microprocessor Single-chip computer processor enabling prog