Communication Tools
This audio-only device uses radio waves to broadcast news, music, and talk shows - becoming a critical communication tool during wars and crises.
What is Radio?
James Watt’s improved version of this machine, powered by steam, became the cornerstone of the First Industrial Revolution.
What is the steam engine?
This physicist, known as the "father of the atomic bomb," led the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear weapons.
Who is J. Robert Oppenheimer?
Platforms in this category rely on algorithms to curate feeds, showing users posts from friends, influencers, or brands based on interests.
What is social media?
These cars run on rechargeable batteries and electric motors instead of gasoline, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use.
What are electric vehicles (or EVs)?
This printed publication, typically issued daily or weekly, shares news, opinions, and ads - one of the oldest mass communication tools still in use.
What is a Newspaper?
Richard Arkwright patented the water frame in 1769; unlike the spinning jenny, it required this power source to operate, leading to factory construction near rivers.
What is water power?
The process of splitting atomic nuclei - used in early nuclear weapons and power plants - gives the Atomic Age its core technology.
What is nuclear fission?
This act involves gaining unauthorized access to computer systems or networks, often to steal data, install malware, or disrupt operations.
What is hacking?
This work model relies on video conferencing, cloud tools, and high-speed internet to let employees work from home or anywhere outside an office.
What is remote work?
This visual medium, popularized in the 20th century, transmits moving images and sound over airwaves or cables, bringing news, shows, and events into homes.
What is Television?
This 15th-century invention used movable metal type to mass-produce printed texts, democratizing access to information and reshaping global communication.
What is the printing press?
This 1968 treaty aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons by limiting access to nuclear technology for non-nuclear states.
What is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)?
This type of software lets users access and navigate websites on the internet.
What is a web browser?
This manufacturing system breaks down production into simple, repetitive tasks, letting products (like cars) be built faster and cheaper.
What is an assembly line?
Invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, this device revolutionized long-distance chat by converting sound into electrical signals.
What is the Telephone?
These collective work stoppages, used by workers to protest unfair conditions, became common during the Industrial Revolution as factory labor grew.
What are strikes?
Fueled by Cold War tensions, this rivalry led the U.S. and USSR to invest billions in rockets, spacecraft, and astronaut training to dominate space exploration.
What is the Space Race?
This technology overlays digital information (e.g., maps, alerts) onto the physical world, popular in smartphone apps like Pokémon GO.
What is augmented reality (AR)?
This real-time content format lets creators broadcast video to viewers online, with live comments, likes, and interactions happening as it airs.
What is live streaming?
Developed in the 1830s-40s, this wire-based tool used Morse code to send text messages, enabling the first fast long-distance communication.
What is the Telegraph?
This durable, translucent, made from kaolinite fired at 1,200–1,400°C, originated in China and became a global trade staple via the Silk Road.
What is porcelain?
This medical procedure uses controlled nuclear radiation to treat cancer cells, a peaceful Atomic Age innovation derived from fission research.
What is radiation therapy?
This component (often called the "brain" of a computer) executes instructions from software and processes data.
What is a central processing unit (CPU)?
Solar panels, wind turbines, and energy-efficient appliances fall under this category of innovations that minimize environmental impact.
What is green tech (or sustainable technology)?