technology

[Delawhere Jack]

Major events that drove technology.

Western enlightenment, particularly the rule of law and property rights.
"If you like your invention, you can keep your invention. Period." (and the proceeds from it)

The printing press. (Ron beat me to it on that one).
Now true genius ideas could be spread to every corner of the globe within a few years.

Capitalism, (at least somewhat governed by rule of law).
The profit motive is very motivating. The ability to raise capital to make your invention a reality has benefited those societies where it is allowed tremendously.

Fossil fuels.
One gallon of gasoline will propel a small car 30 miles or more. Try pushing that same car 30 miles.

Telecommunications.
The world has become a much smaller place.

And in our time, the Internet. I went to school for computer networking in 1998 and worked in that field for 13 years. The Internet has been around much longer, but was just starting to gain widespread use with cheaper PC's and modems. I tried to explain to my parents (born in 1921 and 1926) just how revolutionary this new technology would become. The best metaphor I could come up with was that it would be as impactful on the world as Gutenbergs printing press had been.