|
Modern technology is mainly the result of chemistry and materials sciences. Key events are the discovery of nitrocellulose in the 1840s and the introduction of the Bessemer process of steelmaking in the 1850s. Nitrocellulose starts the development of guncotton, high explosives, celluloid, photographic film, and all sorts of modern plastics. Cheap steel enables engines, steel hulled ships, ICE vehicles, chemical plants, oil refineries, electrical machinery, etc. Further progress in chemical engineering results in fuels, pesticides, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, solid state devices, integrated circuits, lasers, etc. |