SCIENCE AND URBAN LIFE

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SCIENCE AND URBAN LIFE

• Chapter 8, Section 1

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• By the turn of the 20th century, four out of ten
  Americans lived in cities
• In response to urbanization, technological
  advances began to meet communication,
  transportation, and space demands

Artist Annie Bandez
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SKYSCRAPERS

• Skyscrapers emerged after two critical
  inventions elevators steel skeletons that bear
  weight
• Famous examples include Daniel Burnhams
  Flatiron Building in NYC, Louis Sullivans
  Wainwright Building in St. Louis
• The skyscraper was Americas greatest
  contribution to architecture and solved the issue
  of how to best use limited and expensive space

Flatiron Building - 1902
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Another view of Burnhams Flatiron Building
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ELECTRIC TRANSIT

• By the turn of the century, intricate networks of
  electric streetcars also called trolley cars
  ran from outlying neighborhoods to downtown
  offices stores
• This form of transportation enabled cities to
  annex suburban developments that mushroomed along
  the advancing routes.

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ELS AND SUBWAYS

• A few large cities moved their streetcars far
  above street level, creating elevated or el
  trains
• Other cities built subways by moving their rail
  lines underground

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BRIDGES PARKS

• Steel-cable suspension bridges, like the Brooklyn
  Bridge, also brought cities sections closer
• Some urban planners sought to include landscaped
  areas parks
• Frederick Law Olmsted was instrumental in drawing
  up plans for Central park, NYC

Central Park is an oasis among Manhattans
skyscrapers
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CITY PLANNING CHICAGO

• Daniel Burnham oversaw the transformation of
  Chicagos lakefront from swampy wasteland to
  elegant parks strung along Lake Michigan
• Today Chicagos lakefront is one of the most
  beautiful shorelines in North America

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES

• New developments in communication brought the
  nation closer
• Advances in printing, aviation, and photography
  helped speed the transfer of information

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A REVOLUTION IN PRINTING

• By 1890, the literacy rate in the U.S. was nearly
  90
• American mills began to produce huge quantities
  of cheap paper from wood pulp
• Electrical web-perfecting presses printed on both
  sides of paper at the same time
• Faster production and lower costs made newspapers
  and magazines more affordable (most papers sold
  for 1 cent)

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AIRPLANES

• In the early 20th century, brothers Orville and
  Wilbur Wright, experimented with engines and
  aircrafts
• They commissioned a four-cylinder internal
  combustion engine, chose a propeller, and built a
  biplane
• On December 17, 1903 they flew their plane for 12
  seconds covering 120 feet
• Within two years the brothers were making 30
  minute flights
• By 1920, the U.S. was using airmail flights
  regularly

Actual photo of Wright Brothers first flight
12/17/03
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PHOTOGRAPHY EXPLOSION

• Before 1880, photography was a professional
  activity
• Subjects could not move and the film had to be
  developed immediately
• George Eastman invented lighter weight equipment
  and more versatile film
• In 1888, Eastman introduced his Kodak Camera
• The 25 camera came with 100-picture roll of film
  

1888 Kodak
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Partner Question, Chapter 7, Section 1

• Which scientific or technological development
  described in this section had the greatest impact
  on American culture? Use details from the text
  to justify your choice.
• What role did technology play in the spread of
  mass culture at the turn of the 20th Century?
  Provide specific examples.

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SCIENCE AND URBAN LIFE

• Chapter 8, Section 1