The Roots of Progress

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Some things that happened in 1973
newsletter.rootsofprogress.org

Some things that happened in 1973

Jason Crawford
Feb 22, 2020
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Some things that happened in 1973
newsletter.rootsofprogress.org

In 1973:

  • Herbert Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen developed recombinant DNA technology, showing that genetically engineered DNA molecules may be cloned in foreign cells. Genetic engineering ultimately gave us a wide range of benefits, from synthetic insulin (Humulin) to Golden Rice, which mitigates Vitamin A deficiencies.

  • The combined measles-mumps vaccine was licensed.

  • The antibiotic fosfomycin, used to treat bladder infections, and now included on the World Health Organization’s list of the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system, was released.

  • The cell phone was invented, with the first mobile call made by Motorola employee Martin Cooper on April 3.

  • Work began on System R, the first commercial relational database, at IBM’s San Jose Research Laboratory (now now Almaden Research Center). Relational databases now power most software applications and web sites.

  • Work began on TCP/IP, the fundamental protocols of the Internet.

And:

  • A NY Times columnist was born who, in 2020, can’t immediately think of “a major problem in our society that tech has solved in our lifetimes.”

(Here’s my full response to this on Twitter.)

Original post: https://rootsofprogress.org/things-that-happened-in-1973
 


More Twitter threads

If you're not on Twitter much or you don't follow me (you should!), here are some other recent popular tweets and threads:

  • “Virtually every feature of finance is very old and every possible phenomenon appeared almost instantly as soon as the context for it existed”

  • “Virtually every major technological advance has been opposed by those who fear it, often with objections that are clearly quite ridiculous in retrospect”

  • “I have asked before why certain inventions weren't created earlier… What if some of them were invented before—but kept private, or even secret?”

  • “Never thought I would say these words in the same sentence but I am reading a fascinating history of the role of boards of directors in corporate governance”

  • “Today we take it for granted that a college degree is a minimum requirement for a professional job. But as late as the early 1900s, it was almost the opposite”

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