#218. Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years

The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) began its regular broadcasts of the Nightly Business Report in 1979. In celebration of their 30th year on television, Nightly Business Report partnered with Knowledge@Wharton to identify “The Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years.” NBR viewers suggested the advances they admired during the 1979 to 2009 time frame. Professors at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania selected and ranked the top thirty. We think the list is worthy of sharing with our Agurban readers. You will note that several have specific applications to rural America.

#30 – Anti-Retroviral Treatment for AIDS
#29 – SRAM/Flash Memory
#28 – Stents (coronary stents)
#27 – ATMs
#26 – Bar Codes and Scanners
#25 – Biofuels
#24 – Genetically Modified Plants
#23 – RFID and applications (Radio Frequency Identification)
#22 – Digital Photography/Videography
#21 – Graphic User Interface (GUI)
#20 – Social Networking via Internet
#19 – Large Scale Wind Turbines
#18 – Photovoltaic Solar Energy
#17 – Microfinance
#16 – Media File Compression
#15 – Online Shopping/E-Commerce/Auctions
#14 – GPS
#13 – Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
#12 – Light Emitting Diode products (LEDs)
#11 – Open Source Software and Services
#10 – Non-Invasive Laser/Robotic Surgery
#9 – Office Software
#8 – Fiber Optics
#7 – Microprocessors
#6 – Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
#5 – DNA Testing and Sequencing/Human Genome Mapping
#4 – E-Mail
#3 – Mobile Phones
#2 – PC/Laptop Computers
#1 – Internet/Broadband/World Wide Web

I would have to agree. And this is just the past 30 years! We have grown so accustomed to these items. It’s hard to remember when we didn’t have them. This begs the question: What will they think of next?!!

View the list at Top 30 Innovations.