Primary Source Set

Technology in the 20th Century

The twentieth century saw a rapid expansion of the wave of technological innovation that had begun in the late 1800’s. This time period saw advancements at unprecedented speed, including the rise and fall of new technologies and integration into daily life for many people within the U.S. While some technologies took time to catch on in North Carolina, twentieth century life was shaped by radical technological changes. 

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Time Period

1900-1999

Grade Level

Undergraduate

An excerpt from a newspaper article and photo of an interviewee, Wayne Fulcher. He has short, tight curly hair and is smiling while looking to the side of the camera for the photograph. He is wearing a white shirt and a dark tie, the photo is printed in black and white.

Transcript

Explanation! How “Cellular Telephone” By Audrey C. Lodato Peat Staff Writer If you’ve been confused by all the telephone commercials lately, you’re not alone. With the multitude of options for long distance service, types of equipment, portable and car phones, it’s no simple task to “reach out and touch someone.” One of the latest innovations to come along in the communications field is cellular telephone technology. Cellular technology is a system of wireless radio telephones used for mobile phones. The term “cellular” refers to the fact that a geographical area, say Charlotte, is broken down into smaller areas, or cells, each of which has its own receiver transmitters. Wayne Fulcher, a sales representative for Amtex Energy East Corporation, a company which deals with the investment end of the cellular industry, believes the end to conventional wire telephones may be in sight. “If you look 5-10 years down the road, there may be no wires on your desk,” he comments. Beepers, too, will become outmoded, he thinks. His- boss, Amtex president Howard Hanson, agrees. In the future, he declares, ‘‘certainly cellular will be used in all markets in American society.” Although cellular's present primary use in the United States is for business car phones, elsewhere the applications are more diverse. The country of Norway, for instance, has the world’s largest mobile telephone network and is planning to use cellular technology for solar powered coin-operated telephones. In the far east, Malaysia has a nationwide cellular mobile network.

"A Simple Explanation! How 'Cellular Telephone' Works?" [5/23/1985]

This article from The Charlotte Post contains an interview with a cellphone investment company employee, Wayne Fulcher. He describes that he believed that cellular phones would eventually render pagers (also called beepers) and wired telephone lines obsolete. The Motorola DynaTAC, or colloquially called “The Brick”, was made available in 1983 and marked the first iteration of what we know as the cell phone. Today, over 70% of American adults only use wireless cell phones and pagers have become more or less obsolete, except in certain professions like the medical field. As cell phone design became sleeker throughout the 1990’s and into the 21st century, their presence in daily life likewise increased. Fulcher’s 1985 prediction circulated to the Charlotte community may have seemed bold at the time, but trends show that former communication methods like landlines and pagers have drastically decreased in the age of smartphones across the United States.

Contributed to DigitalNC by Johnson C. Smith University

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Charlotte, NC (Mecklenburg County)

Technology in the 20th Century

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Background

The 20th century, or the 1900’s, is marked as a time of rapid technological innovation. From brand new inventions to updating and adapting former technology with new breakthroughs, this time saw not only an increase in technology, but also an increase in the incorporation of new technology into daily life for those in the United States.

However, this period would not have been possible without earlier periods of innovation. People across the globe have contributed to technology, though perhaps different than what first comes to mind for those of us living in the 21st century. Technology is often assumed to be powered by electricity or machinery or some other physical object, but technology is simply the practical application of knowledge.

In this way we can recognize the languages people formed, irrigation methods, and even the ways people have structured their society as types of technology. We can then perhaps reframe our understanding to acknowledge that people have always been living in times of high technological innovation, though the types of technology may appear different based on technological needs and trends of a given time period.

Thanks to the efforts to harness electricity and develop different modes of generating energy during the Industrial Revolution and through the 19th century (1800’s), the 20th century saw technology that expanded the use of electricity, gas, and nuclear power, to name a few. Items many of us now use daily like televisions, radio, microwaves, and cars were all transformed from knowledge in practical applications that transformed the way people lived in many places, including here in North Carolina.

While this state may be most famous for the Wright brothers and the first flight of an airplane, technological advancements drastically changed the ways that people lived, worked, and interacted with each other. Our ability to become connected to each other and to learn more about the world expanded and had resounding effects across society. Nearly every historical point in the 20th century was impacted in some way by technological developments, from the Cold War and the Space Race to the Civil Rights Movement. This primary source set explores some of the ways that technological innovations of the 20th century and the ways it changed life for North Carolinians. Let these sources invite you to consider all the ways technology has shaped history and your life today!

Discussion Questions

  1. Using the definition of technology as the practical application of knowledge consider the following questions:

    • What were the technologies discussed in the source set?*
      • What technologies were machines?*
      • What technologies were social tools or structures?*
        • How did these become developed along with machines and other technologies?**
    • What, if any, technologies can you name from the 20th century that were not highlighted in the source set?**
      • How do these other technologies relate to the ones discussed in the primary source set or how do they not relate?**
    • How was society at large impacted by technologies of the 20th century?**
      • How was life in North Carolina changed due to these technologies?**

  2. Invention v. Innovation

    • What inventions (the creation of something new) of the 20th century were highlighted in this source set?*
    • What innovations (improvements to existing inventions) of the 20th century were highlighted in this source set?*
    • Based on your own perspective, which invention or innovation of the 20th century was most influential in North Carolina?**
      • Does this change if you consider what is most influential for American society as a whole?**
      • What might have been most influential globally?**

  3. Labor

    • What changes in labor and workplace technology did you observe from reviewing the source set?*
    • How did workplace culture and daily life change along with technological developments?**
      • Based on your own perceptions and knowledge, were these changes beneficial? Why or why not?**
    • How have recent technological developments changed the way your future workplace might function?**
      • How might the job(s) you are interested in pursuing have changed or remained the same over time?**
        • How will your labor be different and/or similar from someone’s in your position during the 20th century? Did your job exist prior to the 21st century?**

  4. Education

    • What innovations described in this primary source set were used to impact education and educational spaces?*
      • How did education in the early 20th century differ from the late 20th century?*
      • How is this different from your experience with education today?**

     

    * Questions that check for comprehension

    ** Questions that involve a “deeper dive” in conceptual and historical analysis

This primary source set was compiled by cal caughron.

Updated January 2025