Post-War Texas & the U.S.
Technology and An Expanding Economy
Chapter 24.1
Why It Matters Now…
Most businesses in Texas today were influenced
by changes that occurred after World War II.
For your notes…
Aviation
Electronics
Technology and the
Expanding Economy
1950’s & 60’s
Aeronautics
Travel
Getting Around Texas
• By the end of WWII, Texas highways were crowded
and in desperate need of repair.
• In 1956, Congress passed the Federal Aid Highway Act
and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill
into law. The government paid 90% of building more
than 40,000 miles of roads linking every major city in
the country.
• Over 3,200 of those roads were in Texas.
• With new roads, trucks soon replaced railroads as the
primary means of carrying goods to market.
• With improved highways came increased auto
sales…more cars meant more petroleum products.
Inspiration?...Germany’s Autobahn
Interstates (U.S.)
- Main Highways accessible by on
and off ramps, no cross streets or
traffic lights.
- sign shaped like a shield
State Highways
- May have cross-streets (Hwy..
377)
- May have traffic lights
- Signs are square or shaped like
state usually
Identify Social and Economic Effects
“The interstate system changed cities and the countryside alike, spurring the growth of
suburbs farther and farther away from the central cities. Suburban shopping malls and
supermarkets drew business away from corner grocery stores as residents hopped into their
cars. Downtown retail areas declined along with mass transit. The highways attracted new
businesses aimed at business travelers, truckers, and vacationers. These new businesses
created new jobs for Texas workers”
ECONOMIC
SOCIAL
Social:
- New businesses grew
- Jobs created
Economic:
- new lifestyles (suburban living)
- improved standards of living
Big Idea:
The interstate system enabled the
spread of ideas, information, and
goods in a more efficient manner
New Technologies and Conveniences Emerge
• Fast-food restaurants
• Suburbs
New
Homes/Construction
• Motels with modern
conveniences (TV, a/c,) became
common along Texas highways
• Because manufacturing was also
growing, many of these modern
conveniences were created or
built here in Texas.
High Tech Aviation
Aviation technology began to grow with the highway industry.
• In 1950, Lawrence Bell established Bell Helicopter and built
the world’s first helicopter factory.
• General Dynamics, Boeing, and Texas Instruments all played
major roles in the air-defense industry during the 1950’s.
• When the 1960’s came along, the popularity of high-speed jet
air travel soared…jumbo jets made it possible to fly from the
U.S. to Europe in a fraction of the time that it took by boat.
Texas would need new urban airports…Houston
Intercontinental was built in 1969, and DFW Airport was
opened in 1974
The Electronics Revolution
Along with advances in air travel and aviation technology
came new, complex electronics.
• Texas companies such as Texas instruments and Collins
Radio made great strides in electronics technology.
• Gordon Teal, a Dallas engineer, invented a silicon
transistor in 1954. Four years later, another Dallas
engineer named Jack Kilby, created the integrated circuit.
Together, these two inventions led to the creation of the
computer chip. Kilby won the Nobel Prize…
Developments in Aeronautics
Because of Texas’ high tech industries, in
1961, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) named Houston
the home of its new Manned Spacecraft
Center. It would open in 1963, and by
1966, the space center had more than
5,000 employees on 1,620 acres.
•
•
In April, 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent a
memo to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, asking
him to look into the state of America's space
program, and into programs that could
offer NASA the opportunity to catch up to the
Soviets. Johnson responded about one week later,
concluding that the United States needed to do
much more to reach a leadership status in space
exploration. Johnson recommended that a piloted
moon landing was far enough in the future that it
was likely that the United States could achieve it
first.
His justification for the Moon Race was both that it
was vital to national security and that it would focus
the nation's energies in other scientific and social
fields.
The Space Race
The Space Race Continued…
In 1962, president John F. Kennedy
gives a speech to 35,000 people at
Rice University in Houston near the
future NASA Mission Control Center.
He gives reasons for the
advancement of the space program
and explains his goal to win the
worldwide race to put a person on
the moon .
“…and do all this, and do it right, and do it first
before this decade is out—then we must be
bold.”
Why did it
happen?
It was a battle of ideology between two political systems. Communism (Soviets) vs
capitalism (USA) and which system was the best. The U.S. and Soviet Union were the two
superpowers of the world with opposing political ideologies. Other nations in the world
were choosing sides, some becoming capitalists others communists. The space race was a
symbol of which system worked better and the “race” lasted 18 years. The American
populace along with the Soviet populace were both supportive of the space race during the
50's and 60's.
• Arms race was going on – everyone thought nuclear war was imminent
• Whoever had the best technology or best accomplishment was in the lead…for the
moment…
Looking back, it may seem silly to spend all that money on the space race, but at the time it
was of monumental importance and received support from the government all the way
down to the average tax payer.
Date
Significance
Country
Mission Name
August 21, 1957
Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
USSR
R-7 Semyorka SS-6 Sapwood
October 4, 1957
First artificial satellite
USSR
Sputnik 1
November 3, 1957
First animal in orbit (Dog)
USSR
Sputnik 2
January 31, 1958
First US satellite; detection of Van Allen belts
USA
Explorer 1
December 18, 1958
First communications satellite
USA
Project SCORE
January 4, 1959
Artificial satellite (Sun's)
USSR
Luna 1
February 17, 1959
Weather satellite
USA-NASA
Vanguard 2
June 1959
Reconnaissance satellite
USA-Air Force
Discover 4
August 7, 1959
Photo of Earth from space
USA-NASA
Explorer 6
September 14, 1959
Probe to Moon
USSR
Luna 2
October 7, 1959
Photo of the far side of the Moon
USSR
Luna 3
April 12, 1961
Human in orbit
USSR
Vostok 1
July 10, 1962
First active communications satellite
USA-AT&T
Telstar
September 29, 1962
Artificial satellite by a non-superpower
Canada
Alouette 1
June 16, 1963
Woman in orbit
USSR
Vostok 6
March 18, 1965
Extra-vehicular activity
USSR
Voskhod 2
December 15, 1965
Orbital rendezvous2
USA-NASA
Gemini 6A/Gemini 7
March 1, 1966
Probe lands on another planet - Venus
USSR
Venera 3
March 16, 1966
In-orbit rendezvous and docking
USA-NASA
Gemini 8
December 24, 1968
Manned Lunar orbit
USA-NASA
Apollo 8
July 20, 1969
Human on the Moon
USA-NASA
Apollo 11
April 23, 1971
Space station
USSR
Salyut 1
November 14, 1971
Satellite orbits another planet - Mars
USA-NASA
Mariner 9
November 9, 1972
Geostationary communications satellite
Canada-BCE
Anik A1
July 15, 1975
First U.S.-USSR joint mission
USSR USA-NASA
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
So…. what’s the significance? Was the space race just
a waste of time and resources between the two
world super-powers?
No… the space race resulted in an increase in funding for research and
education. This, in turn, resulted in many products that we use today.
These products were originally developed for NASA and for use in
space. Things like…
• LED’s
• Medical treatments
• Memory foam
• Satellites (for tv’s, phones, GPS, etc.)
• Plastics, metal alloys, and other materials.
• New weapon technology
Post War America – Technology and the Expanding Economy (Summary)
Travel
•
1956 – Federal Aid Highway Act(over 40,000 miles of roads built –Connected major cities across the
U.S.) Opened up trade, commerce, and travel across the U.S.
•
Modern conveniences and industries targeting travelers sprang up (fast-food, motels, etc.)
Electronics
•
•
Dallas – Jack Kilby creates integrated circuit, Gordon Teal creates silicone transistor – together these
make the computer chip
Electronics and computer chips give rise to new industries and expand others like aviation and
consumer goods
Aviation
•
•
•
1960 Jet technology expands air travel
Houston Intercontinental airport, DFW airport open in Texas
Texas is home to world’s first helicopter factory – Bell helicopter
Aeronautics
•
•
•
•
Space Race – U.S. vs Soviet Union – competing for recognition as dominant world power
Space Race/NASA promotes scientific discoveries used in other industries
U.S. is first to land a man on the moon – creates pride in the U.S.
Discoveries led to advanced air travel, products, and new weapon technology.