Contributions to civilization

11.2.1. From the very beginning of the formation of the new nation and through all American history there were outstanding political leaders and social reformers. George Washington is one of them.He wasthe commander-in-chief of the colonial forces during the War of Independence and first President of the United States. Another prominent figure in American leadership is Abraham Lincoln who abolished slavery and reunited the country leading the North against the South during the Civil War.

11.2.2. Every year millions of Americans and foreigners visit the US capital, and many of them pass fascinating hours there viewing such historic treasures as the Wright brothers' first airplane, Alexander Graham Bell's prototype telephone, and a wealth of American and foreign art at various museums scattered around the city. Few of these people remember that art, liter­ature and science developed in America in conditions such as existed in no European nation. Instead of a civilized society inhabiting the same region for cen­turies, here was a group of colonies drawn from many countries. Thus, the American art, science and litera­ture have absorbed and assimilated many different influences in their development.

11.2.3. America has also given the world a number of brilliant inventors with interests in diverse scientific fields. An important milestone is connected with the name of inventor Thomas Alva Edison who produced the first electric light bulb, phonograph, and many other inventions, thus stimulating a rapid growth in American science and technology. In fact, making inventions seems to be ingrained in the American national character. The fathers of the nation Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were both inventors, too.

In more recent times, the first electronic computer was put to work in the United States some sixty years ago. The computer revolution began in the USA. The person who led human civilization along a new path at the end of the XX century was Bill Gates who created the software without which it is impossible to imagine modern computing. He is chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, Internet technologies for personal and business computing.

11.2.4. When the Soviet Union launched the first satellite in 1957 the Americans understood that they cannot stay away from the space programs. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy set a task for the country: to land a spaceship on the moon by 1970. This program was called Project Apollo. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 achieved the his­toric goal. The American spaceship landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong, commander of the ship, be­came the first person to walk on the moon's surface. His historical words are well-remembered today, "it's one small step for a man, but a giant leap for mankind". Today, the Space Shuttle program is being successfully carried out by international crews.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-07