Scientific development

The Plain of La Crau, 1888- Vincent Van Gogh
I have chosen this picture because it portrays how life in the past was. And it can help us to think about all the scientific developments that have taken place in the last decades that make our lives much easier.
Now, let´s think about electricity. You walk into your house today, flick a switch and you expect a light to come on. You press a button on the remote control and you expect the TV to turn on. There are many things you depend on electricity to do each day, from washing and drying your clothes to working in your computer. So, how did people get by before they got electricity? If you wanted a light you would get a match, go over to the kerosene lamp, lift the globe off, strike the match, light the wick, put the globe back on and adjust the flame for the best light.
For entertainment people had a record player or a battery operated radio. You could not run the radio too much or you would run the battery down too soon. There were not very many radio stations then and most of them were at very distant locations.
If we take into account means of transport, we may say that the first form of transport was, of course, the human foot. However people eventually learned to use animals for transport. Donkeys, horses and camels were the most commonly used for transportation.
In the mid 19th century transport was revolutionized by railways. They made travel much faster. The Stockton and Darlington railway opened in 1825. However the first major railway was from Liverpool to Manchester. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler made the first cars in 1885 and 1886. Meanwhile, at sea transport was revolutionized by the steam ship. By 1815, steamships were crossing the English Channel.
Farming methods have also progressed through history and this development of agricultural techniques has steadily increased agricultural productivity. A remarkable shift in agricultural practices has occurred over the past century in response to new technologies.