1. Nuclear Industry
In 1942, Enrico Fermi was responsible for the design and construction of the first nuclear reactor in human history, the Chicago Pile-1 nuclear reactor, at the University of Chicago. The output power of a nuclear reactor is only 0.5W.
In 1960, the United States manufactured eight portable nuclear reactors, Alco PM-2A, with an output of 2 million watts for use in the U.S. Army's Camp Century program in Greenland. There are currently 104 commercial nuclear reactors in the United States, which provide 20% of the country's electricity.
In terms of nuclear weapons, as of September 30, 2009, the United States had 5,113 nuclear warheads.
2. Communications and electronics industry
In terms of communications and electronics, the United States has always maintained a strong momentum of development. Bell Labs invented the transistor, charge-coupled components, UNIX operating system, C language, etc., the Palo Alto Research Center invented the personal computer, laser printer, mouse, etc., and the ARPANET established by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA led to the creation of the Internet.
3. Aerospace Industry
In the aerospace industry, on January 31, 1958, the United States launched Explorer 1, humanity’s second and its first artificial satellite. . On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard, the second human being and the first American astronaut, was sent into space. In 1961, the Apollo program began. From July 20, 1969 to 1972, 12 astronauts successfully landed on the moon.
At the same time, the United States is the first country to launch a space shuttle so far. On April 12, 1981, the United States launched the first space shuttle in human history; from April 12, 1981 to 2011 On July 21, the U.S. space shuttle launched 135 times, successfully launched 134 times, and returned successfully 133 times.
4. Medical treatment
Pharmaceutical organizations in the European Union and the United States believe that the United States is the world's leading country in medical research and the introduction of new medical techniques and medical products, but they also say that they must rely on the United States' high costs. Medical spending can effectively drive these R&D efforts.
Extended information
At the beginning of the 19th century, the United States was one of the most influential countries in terms of scientific and technological research and technological product innovation. The U.S. government has always believed that science and technology spending is an investment in the country's future, and uses this as a guideline to formulate science and technology policies. U.S. science and technology policy has always attached great importance to national defense research and basic research. The former is mainly to maintain military superiority, while the latter is based on the consideration that basic research is the foundation of the country's long-term development.
Many of the most important inventions in the history of human industry, including cotton gins, universal parts, production lines, etc., originated in the United States. Among them, the industrial production line is particularly important, which turned industrial mass production from a dream into a reality. . Other important inventions include the airplane, the light bulb, and the telephone.
The United States planned the Manhattan atomic bomb project, the Apollo moon landing project and the human genome project in the 20th century. During World War II, the United States was the first to develop the atomic bomb, bringing human technology into a new era of the atomic age.
After the Cold War began, the United States achieved success in the field of space science and technology and took the lead in the space race, which led to major advances in rocket technology, weapons research, materials science, and computers. It has made great contributions to the history of network development, including the invention of computers during World War II, early military applications, and the development and innovation of personal computers. The ARPA network founded by the U.S. Department of Defense is a pioneer in network technology.
In terms of scientific research, American scholars have won a large number of Nobel Prizes, especially in the fields of biology and medicine. The National Center for Health Research is the focus of biomedicine in the United States and has completed the Human Genome Project, bringing human research into the cure of tumors, Alzheimer's disease and other diseases to an important stage.
The government agency for aeronautics and aerospace research is NASA. Private companies such as Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. also play an important role.
The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine and the National Science Foundation are the four highest-level academic institutions in the American scientific community. Except for the Natural Science Foundation, the other three academies award academician titles respectively.
Baidu Encyclopedia - United States
Baidu Encyclopedia - American Technology