During World War II, Nazi Germany was the most technologically advanced country. The United States on the other hand was not really advanced in technology. One thing they did know how to do was how to mass produce anything during war time. The least advanced country in the fight was Russia. Technology peaked new inventions during World War II. While the United States was in an arms race against Russia, new inventions peaked as well as nuclear weaponry was becoming popularized. During the war, everyone's mind is set on having the best technology because they believe it is a definite possibility that their enemy will, and can be, destroyed.
It is a little frightening to imagine that the Nazis were so advanced they had some of the technology we have today.
For example, Nazis invented a new jet airplane called the Messerschmitt ME 262. The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the world’s first fully operational turbojet fighter and saw service in the later years of World War II. The Messerschmitt Me 262 had to potential to change the course of the air war in Europe but Hitler ordered that it be used in a capacity that undermined its whole value as a fighter plane. This jet was believed to be the jet aircraft that would dominate to retain Germany superiority from the United States and maybe even lead in the Cross Atlantic Raid Hitler vision after he would annihilate Britain. The Messerschmitt was one of the many projects where Nazis tried to produce an efficient jet aircraft. After the Allied Powers bombarded Berlin, the ME 262 production was laid back for about six months, towards the end of the war.
Tiger Tank
The German Tiger Tank and the Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus ("Mouse") tank are two, out of many, of the other technological advances created during World War II. These were German Tanks, from Hitler's imagination, put into reality.
Of course Hitler wanted bigger tanks, heavier armored, and much-much bigger guns attached. Germany wanted to match the United States because the United States M6 gave Germany some complications, that is the reason why the "mouse" tank was invented. However, the "mouse" tank was declared inefficient due to its lack of ability to go through water because of the electrical diesel powered engine.
The Tiger Tanks were Germany highly produced tanks. These tanks were effective and used throughout the entire World War.
The Tiger Tank weighed about 57 tons (114,000 pounds) which is about one third of the Mouse Tank which weighs about 180 tons (360,000 pounds). Everyone believed the United States highly produced and manufactured tank was the Sherman tanks or the M4, which faced off with the Tiger Tanks.
Shades of black and white were the only thing you were able to see on television. On June 25th 1951 the very first color commercial was shown on television on CBS, Colombia Broadcasting System. For us, now, it is very normal to see color on TV but imagine the look on peoples faces when they witnessed the first color commercial.
NBC was the first broadcasting company to air their logo in color.
A lot of people were not able to see the first time color TV aired because not everyone owned a colored set. There were only a few sales of color television.
By the end of 1957, only 150,000 colored sets were sold. Why? When colored sets were first marketed, in March 1954, the cost for them was $1,295, that was way too expensive for an average family to afford. At first most viewers did not like colored television, it felt too real to them.
In 1954 only 80,050 producing sets, produced in color. That was not was not enough for the entire nation and NBC was the only broadcasting company to air all its shows in color.
Bonanza
In 1959, Bonanza was the first show to be filmed and aired in color, its popularity grew over the years and because of this, more audiences sought out to watch the show on a colored set.
Inside a television set there is a device called a cathode ray tube which creates beams of electrons in three different colors, red, blue, and green. Using only those colors, but in different combinations and amounts, any color can be made. The back of a television screen is covered in dots of phosphor, when struck by the colored electron beams, the phosphor gives off light on the television screen. The human brain forms these dots into a whole picture.
Because of the introduction of colored TV CBS and NBC continued to be rivals to this day. In addition, small affiliates of large networks like NBC began broadcasting in color. Colored TV also encouraged companies to compete for better resolution and screen brightness because of this competition, consumers had a wide range of choices, this in turn made the price of color television decrease, by 1964, color television cost only $495.
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