Science and technology – achievements from the mid-20th century to today
History20th Century & TodayAges 14–15
Use it with your class: students open it from a link or a QR code, with no account needed.
Next in 20th Century & Today
A world map paired with a timeline from 1945 to 2023 marks where landmark scientific and technological achievements were born and gradually draws the global trade and information network. Students drag the timeline marker to watch achievements appear one by one and count how many have occurred. Click a dot to read a short description of that achievement's impact. An optional decade chart counts the milestones in each decade, stacked by field, for the selected group up to the year shown.
Lesson: The scientific-technological revolution and the trend of globalization
What it shows
After 1945, science became a direct force of production: discoveries moved quickly from laboratories into industry, communication and medicine. The map and timeline follow four strands of this revolution: computers and information, from the first electronic computer to the Internet and smartphones; space exploration, from the first artificial satellite to the Moon landing; biotechnology, from the DNA double helix to Dolly the sheep and the human genome; and globalization, through the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the ASEAN Community. As achievements accumulate, a global trade and information network spreads across the map. The decade chart turns the timeline into data: it counts how many of the listed milestones fall in each decade and field, so periods can be compared; it counts only the events in this simulation, not every event of the time.
How to use
Drag Year shown on the timeline or press Play, pausing at the end of each decade to count the new achievements. Switch Filter by content group between Computers and information, Space exploration, Biotechnology and Globalization to see that each field surged in different decades, then choose All to watch the network lines cover the map. Click a dot to read about its impact, and ask students to rank the achievements by how much they affect daily life today. Turn on Decade chart and play the timeline: ask which decade gains the most milestones, then filter one group and compare.
Parameters you can change
- Year shown on the timeline 1945–2023 year
- Filter by content group All, Computers and information, Space exploration, Biotechnology, Globalization
- Timeline playback speed 1–20 years/second
- Show event labels on the map
- Show the per-decade chart of milestones
Questions to explore
- Which two countries achieved the first milestones in space exploration, and in which decades?
- Which achievements in the Globalization group are political or economic agreements rather than new technologies?
- Why are most of the achievements on the map located in North America and Europe?
