Twentieth Century Thinkers PHL/458
Twentieth Century Thinkers
The Twentieth Century, the year 1901, proved to be a time of change, brilliance, dedication, and new-found technology (2011). From quill pens to ink pens, horse-drawn carriages to gas powered engines, slavery and segregation of Blacks and Whites to the Civil Rights movement, and from handwriting on tablets to storing important information in a computer; the Twentieth Century made a tremendous amount of positive contributions to society. The contributions made in the Twentieth Century are often over-looked and taken for granted. Americans in particular have become somewhat spoiled with
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The “I Have A Dream” speech given by Martin Luther King captivated the hearts of individuals supporting the Civil Rights cause. His solutions and ideas were implemented widely and had a huge impact on rights among the White and Black America. In 1950 King, and the NAACP assisted in the “Brown v. Board of Education,” in Topeka, Kansas, which led to the acceptance of Black Americans in all White public schools (PBS, 2001). The thousands of marches and protests he led among the United States proved that one man can indeed make a difference. Bill Gates is also a man who made a difference in the Twentieth Century, though his passion in the beginning of his career came strictly from knowledge and intelligence. Gates is described by Who’s Who in the Twentieth Century as a “US businessman who co-founded Microsoft Corporation, which in the 1980s became the leading computer software producer.” In 2008, Microsoft was, according to this same source, accused of illegal activities, which led to Gates departure at Microsoft (Phillips, 2008).
After Microsoft fell through for Gates, he advanced on to study philanthropy, which is a corporation or individual (s) donate to the goodwill of humanity. Bill Gates, still possessing ties with the Microsoft cooperation could do this combining his newfound wealth and his intelligence (Time Magazine, 2008). An article from Think Big Magazine quotes from Time, “For many years,
“Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time. I have a dream.” – Martin Luther King Jr. It is because of the Brown vs. The Board of Education court case that allows the University of Texas at Austin, along with hundreds of universities, to be have a diverse student body. This case opened new doors to racial opportunities. What started off as a plea for equality, would change the world in its own way. Brown, who is not defined to one person but rather a group that wanted freedom of segregation from schools, would go against the Board of Education in a duel of words to bring an equal education towards all citizens. Tirelessly fighting against racial
Gates later went on co-found Microsoft and create lasting and groundbreaking computer software that continues to be valuable to society as technology has become common in day to day life. Undoubtedly, Gate’s intellect, passion, and creativity led him to create an extraordinary product and established him as a modern genius.
Taking a look back in time, so much has changed, especially in the time period between the 1920’s and 1960’s. The 1920’s and 1960’s are two decades that have really defined the United States’ culture. From flappers to hippies, jazz music to rock, and Civil Rights movements, these two decades have helped shape the beliefs and rights we have today. The 1920s were an age of social and political change that would change the face of history in the United States. The 1960s are considered the most consequential and controversial decade of the twentieth century due to the rise of feminism, the Vietnam War and political and social atmospheres becoming divided. Despite the forty year gap between the two decades, they share a great deal of similarities, many of which have changed history.
The Supreme Court’s decision in the famous and landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 set a precedent for desegregation in schools. But even still, southern activists worked to defend the practice of segregation. Following the Brown decision, grassroots African American activists began challenging segregation through protests continuing into the 1960s (Aiken et al., 2013). During the Eisenhower administration, Congress passed two measures that proved to be ineffective: the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. African Americans demonstrated their frustration with lack of progress on the issue through non-violent means and campaigns led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (Bourne,
Technology advancements have had a tremendous impact on American society and culture, since the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. Whether it is political, economical, or scientific, technology has transformed American culture into what it is today. Through advancements in the 1950’s up until the 2000’s one can see the dramatic alteration each generation has gone through. From tech boom in the late 1950’s, to the Apollo mission in the late 1960’s, up until the “CNN effect,” one can see how each technological advancement has effected American Society, and why the late 1950’s, to early 1960’s had the most transformative impact on the society we see today.
“All of these qualities were evident in Gates’s nimble response to the sudden public interest in the Internet. Beginning in 1995 and 1996, Gates feverishly refocused Microsoft on the development of consumer and enterprise software solutions for the Internet, developed the Windows CE operating system platform for networking non computer devices such as home televisions and personal digital assistants, created the Microsoft Network to compete with America Online and other Internet providers, and through Gates’s company Corbis, acquired the huge Bett mann photo archives and other collections for use in electronic distribution.
Bill Gates made a lot of changes to the way the world operates through technology and made life at lot easier for other people around the world. Bill Gates (also known as William Henry III or Trey) is an American entrepreneur, business mogul, investor, philanthropist, and one of the most richest and influential people in the world. He was also known as the best businessman in the 20th century. In his years as a child, he had the attitude for math and science as well as showing interest in computer programming in his teenage years.
When William Henry Gates came into the world in the year 1955, the fledgling computer industry was still trying to spread its wings and fly. AOn the day he was born in 1955, fewer then 500 electronic computers had existed in the entire world, their total retail value amounted to less then $200 million, and the term Asoftware@ had not yet been coined.@(Manes, 2) Bill first laid a hand on a computer in 1968 while in junior high school. The computer business was rapidly transforming at this time, and so was Bill Gates. He saw the real profitable side of computers was not their hardware. Rather it was the software end of the business. Good software is what makes a computer exciting and easy to use. Bill Gates grabbed this concept and ran with it. The result: As of 1993 AGates was personally worth more than $2 billion@, and his company, Microsoft, was Avalued at more than $7 billion.@(Manes, 2)
Not only did Gates build Microsoft but he also showed people that they would not get away with stealing computer software.
When people think of a hero they think of Superman, Batman, or Spiderman, but what they should think of are people that make difference. Bill Gates has made a huge difference in today’s world; he is an extremely successful entrepreneur, an active philanthropist, and a very motivated person in general. With this motivation he has and will accomplish anything he puts his mind to. He was CEO of Microsoft and became the richest man in the world. He also created one of the most credible and generous charitable organization in the world. As a positive influence on today’s world, Bill Gates has proven himself as person with his good work ethic, positive attitude, and great accomplishments.
Many unforgettable things happened in the twentieth century. On October 24th, 1929 the stock market crashes (Daniel 375). This sends the country into a panic. In other countries much more is going on such as the Holocaust. On September 6th, 1941 the Jews are forced to wear the Star of David on their clothes (Daniel 527). This is just the beginning of what’s about to happen in Germany. However in America, many new things are happening with advances in technology such as on December of 1937 the first full-length picture of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was screened (Daniel 477). This advance could really influence theatre with either competition or new ideas for performances.
In the other hand, William H.Gates, also known as Bill gates aspired his whole life to create the finest technology to make everyone’s life easier. He created what is known know as Microsoft which is a
If you knew Bill Gates well, you would know that he’s full of desire. All the software ever written in the world is never sufficient for Mr. Gates. He always desires something noble. He believes something good is not for just a few people. But it’s for all. This is should not be in the negative light because that’s what actually gave birth to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mr. and Mrs. Gates wanted you to desire something good and work toward it. So they delved into charitable giving and are recording great successes worldwide. Bill’s desire was that there should be something different from the gigantic machines called the computer in those days. He desired something that everyone could use with ease. And he introduced it to the world.
Bill Gates’ influence is widespread. He has led the technological industry of the 20th century. He currently holds the sixth position for the most
Bill Gates first took an interest in computer programming when he was 13 years old, while attending school. The school used funds from sales and donations and was able to purchase the students an ASR-33 Teletype terminal and computer time on a General Electric computer terminal. Bill, instantly intrigued, was able to get excused from his regular classes to work with the computer. Bill, then, gained his interest in computer programming. He was able to develop a program where the students could play the computer in a game of tic-tac-toe. This was the beginning of Bill Gates career (Bill Gates, 2011).