[ajuc]

Part of the problem is comparing bleeding edge 1940 with average 1870, and average 2010 with bleeding edge 1940.

Most of the world in 1940 wasn't that different from 1870. Industrialization only touched a few countries. Still most people were farmers, and farming was similar to 1870. There were many innovations, mainly cheap artifical fertilizers thanks to Bosh-Faber process, but it wasn't widespread yet.

Nowadays as well we have pockets of sci-fi level technology (fusion, genetic engineering, space stuff, nanomaterials), but the widespread stuff is not on that level.

Don't compare a car in 1940 to mobile phone in 2010, because almost nobody had a car in 1940 when you look at the whole world.