A few months ago, I was asked the single most difficult question in my entire life: What was the greatest innovation of the 20th century that contributed to modern society? My mind dwelled upon the obvious, cellphones, the Internet, airplanes, rockets, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, cornflakes, teddy bears, and of course, the resource that makes everything seem possible, Google. But this question was for an application of sorts so my answer had to be distinguishable, to say the least. Additionally, I hate to be what the kids are calling, “mainstream.” I decided to search my own life for answers as I am one of the 7 billion people a part of modern society.
As I sat that Sunday afternoon, pondering upon the seemingly impossible answer to this question, I felt my hand gravitating towards the newest National Geographic that lay on my lap in hopes to distract myself. Boom! Sure, it was not as great or as definite as the discovery of nuclear power, but the National Geographic was what I felt encompassed everything about our society. Without avenues like the National Geographic, the majority of society would be ignorant of the neglected population of the world, such as endangered animals and diminishing native tribes as well as the natural beauty and spectacles provided by our planet.
So today, I wanted to share my answer with you and explain why I think the National Geographic was the greatest innovation of the 20th century:
“I am an avid reader of the National Geographic magazine. Not only am I a devoted subscriber to the magazine, I actually read the magazine for more than its stunning pictures. The 20th Century was the epiphany of the most revolutionary times in mankind. Many innovations occurred during this time, such as the development of automobiles, planes, antibiotics, women’s rights, and the Internet. The National Geographic was there to document all of these events. As the Egyptians once used hieroglyphics to record their history, the National Geographic served as an innovative and modern way to record aspects of our evolving culture and society. Not only did this magazine serve to document our present and future events, it also shared historical monuments and discoveries with the world. Even though, the National Geographic was first founded in 1888, it was not until 1905 that the magazine began to be heavily pictorial. The January 1905 issue included the start of an imagery revolutionary magazine with the showcase of Tibet. The National Geographic magazine utilized photos as the universal language that could be understood with the entire global community. In the late 20th Century, the magazine began publishing in local languages with Japanese being its first. The National Geographic will forever hold as a semblance of how our world began to record our history and culture in the 20th Century and beyond.”
My thoughts are affirmed as I scroll through this week’s edition of the National Geographic Sunday Stills.
What do you think was the greatest innovation of the 20th century? Let us down below, or tweet me @YAABecca.
