Electricity: Yes, Benjamin Franklin was pivotal in its early development, but no, he was not an engineer. It would take thousands of engineers many decades to develop what would become the modern network of transmission and resources used to power the globe.
Electronics: Everything operating through electricity, from the television to the computer, owes its existence to decades of innovative engineering. Not only have such devices made mass communication and entertainment possible, but they have given rise to new forms of information sharing previously unimaginable.
Water Treatment: Most of the planet is water, but not all of it is safe for consumption. Engineers have created new systems to sanitize water and supply and distribute it to mass populations, which affects everything from farming and agriculture to theme parks and shopping malls.
Telephone: It’s hard to imagine a world without phones, but for the vast majority of human history, instant communication with another person just a few hundred yards away was impossible. Today, thanks to the work of engineers, people can converse from virtually any point on the globe. The engineering of satellites, switchboards, cell phones, and fiber optics has made this a standard feature of contemporary life.
Heating and Air Conditioning: Ever survived a Chicago winter? How about the steamy heat of a Houston summer? Neither would be feasible without the indoor temperature control created by teams of engineers during the industrial era. This technology also plays a key role in refrigeration and preservation of medical supplies.
The Internet: It’s hard to believe, but the Internet, developed over several years through a series of engineering innovations, has only been in widespread use for little more than a decade. In that time it has transformed everything from business and education to entertainment and politics.
Nuclear Technologies: Whether it was an overall positive innovation is debatable, but the engineering of nuclear technologies was probably the most significant engineering breakthrough since electricity. Nothing else is likely to be as pivotal in the future of science and energy development.
Interstate Highways: Constructing 44,000 miles of highways across the United States is no small feat and would have been downright impossible without the hard work of scores of engineers who designed all the roads, bridges, tunnels, and passes which make up the nation's roadways.
