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As with the last 40 years, a lot happened during this era of time. Los Alamos Research Center was built to make the first atomic bomb. The ENIAC was built, and it became the first real computer. To top it all off, the United States and the U.S.S.R. began a race to outer space in which the Soviets had a clear lead.

The Atomic Bomb | ENIAC
Polio Vaccines | Sputnik | NASA

1943

The Manhattan Project

In 1941, as you well know, the US entered the Second World War against Japan. After the fighting on the islands in the South Pacific wouldn't stop, the US decided to create a weapon that would force Japan to surrender after its use. In 1943 that weapon was built in the Los Alamos Research center. That weapon was the Atomic Bomb.

The Atomic bomb works by taking atoms of an element and constantly splitting them so that they release an enormous amount of energy. If enough of the atoms are split, then the amount of energy released can destroy almost anything.

1946

ENIAC

The ENIAC (Electronic Numeral Integrator And Computer) was the first electronic computer. Instead of using transistors like all of our computers do today, the ENIAC used vacuum tubes. The vacuum tubes were expensive and broke often, which was very costly.

Compared to many computers now, the ENIAC is about as powerful as a small calculator. That may not be much, but it is a milestone, because, what would be the first computer, if it were not the ENIAC.

* As a side note, the term debugging comes from when the workers of the ENIAC had to clear out the moths that had been attracted to the lights in the vacuum tubes.

1955

Polio Vaccine

Polio was the incurable disease of years past, like AIDS is today. Polio left people paralyzed, often infecting the lung and leg muscles. President Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with this disease and still served as President, proving that it is survivable.

In 1955 though, polio vaccinations were made and finally this disease could be removed from our world. Almost everybody in the world was administered the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control sent hundred of workers to give the vaccine to every single person in every country, so that with any luck this horrible disease may be eradicated. And to their surprise it worked.

1957

The Russians Lead

As of 1957, the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the United States was on! Sputnik 1 had been launched by the Soviets. This angered many Americans and other countries who were in disbelief that the Soviets had the technology to send anything into outer space.

Sputnik 1 was the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth. It was the size of a basketball and took about 98 minutes to make a full orbit.

1958

NASA

In 1958, NASA (National Aeronautics And Space Administration) became one of many national administrations. Although this in itself is not really important, what happens there is. Everything from M&M's to spy satellites has been carried up there, and a lot of it is shaping our lives today.