Advancements in Science and

Education
Krishna Boppana, William Huang, Amartya Mani, Johnny Shea

Development of
Insulin
Advancements
in Medicine

Bright and Dark Medicine

Bright

High Costs of Medicine

Dark

Advancements in Medicines saved

many lives- civilians and soldiers
Penicillin: discovered 1928
Insulin: 1922

Deaths from infectious diseases

dropped
Extended life expectancies

Unequal access to medicine

High costs/limited supply
Took about 20 years to develop
penicillin into a usable product
Many bacteria became resistant to
medicines

The Bright and the Dark of Technology

Bright

Technological
Advancements

Computers became more practical

Did calculation/computations that took

humans longer to do
Radios became more prevalent

Lines of communication were established to

connect rural areas to the grid

Radio Broadcasts disseminated news

Rise of the automobile

Material Science breakthroughs

Dark

Increased accessibility to transportation,

mobility, and leisure activities
Increased manufacturing capacity of factories
Advent of aluminum, magnesium, plastics,
and synthetic fibers created new industries
Promoted Mass consumption culture

Worsened working conditions for laborers in

factories

Enabled exploitation of workers

Females paid less than males

The Automobile posed a safety risk to drivers

Not many regulations on driving allowed

dangerous drivers to be on the streets
Cars did not have many safety features

No seatbelts, turn signals, etc.

Average 10 car-related deaths per day

Advent of new industries increased

unemployment of workers in obsolete industries

Advancements
in
Agriculture

The Bright and the Dark Agriculture

Bright

Farmers embraced new farming technology in

1920s
Mechanized farming drastically increased
cultivation efficiency in industry
Ex: Internal Combustion Tractors
Helped cultivated over 35 million new
acres of land
Introduction of Biotechnology
During time many diseases were affecting
crops . Ex: Bacterial Wilt killed corn
Scientists genetically modified corn and
allowed for successful growing of corn
Success with hybrid corn later transformed
food production in america and world.
The creation of Chemical Fertilizers and
Pesticides in 1920s-1940s furthered agricultural
success.

Dark

Foreign markets did not need as many

agricultural goods as before war, decreasing
demand for such products overseas.
New technology led to drastic increase in
supply and caused overproduction.
These large surpluses led to large decrease in
food prices and farmer income
Over 3 million people left industry in
1920s

Childrens Schooling

Extracurricular Activities

The Bright and the Dark Education

Bright

Segregation in
Schools
Scopes Monkey Trial

More people were going to school than ever

before in the 1920s (2.2 million5 million)
Enrollment in colleges/universities increased
threefold to 1.2 million
Vocational schools provided specialized
training in technical skills such as
engineering, management, and economics
Organized athletics, extracurricular
activities, clubs, fraternities/sororities
provided settings where adolescents could
develop their own hobbies
Scopes Monkey Trial exposed hypocrisy of
Christian fundamentalists

Dark

Christian Fundamentalism advocated for a

literal interpretation of the Bible and
opposed teachings of Charles Darwin.
States made demands to forbid the teachings
of evolution or any theory that denies the
story of the divine creation of man as taught
in the Bible in public schools
Racial Segregation in schools was extremely
prevalent

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https://www.uchicago.edu/breakthroughs/1920s/
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1123&source=Bookmark&u=sand55832&jsid=0a79f654a42231bde6536c9aebdead19
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/insulin/discovery-insulin.html
http://herbarium.usu.edu/fungi/funfacts/penicillin.htm
https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/peoria-il/national-center-for-agricultural-utilization-research/
docs/penicillin-opening-the-era-of-antibiotics/
http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/inventions-in-the-1920s.htm
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe20s/machines_08.htm