33^rd Nano Congress for Future Advancements

The history of technology in the past three hundred years has been one of major leaps forward, compared with the two thousand years or so that preceded them. In the 18th Century, the Agricultural Revolution changed the nature of farming throughout the world. Formerly, the "three field" system had been a dominant feature of agriculture, with the result that productivity was only two-thirds of what it might have been. The addition of fertilizers, irrigation, and upgraded equipment, such as steel plows, for everyday use meant that the "three field" system could be abandoned. It was, and it was replaced by a system that is much more recognizable in the modern day. The Agricultural Revolution, once production exceeded immediate consumption levels, allowed for society to begin to consider other aspects of the economy. The obvious choice was to look at industrial diversification beyond the "cottage industry" model. This became the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, though it actually had its roots in the 18th. When grist mills with wind and power looms with water power came into general use at that time, the stage was set for the Industrial Revolution to burst forth in the next century. Of course, it was not long before wind and water were replaced by the steam engine as a source of power. Once they became mobile for boats and railroads, steam engines rapidly dominated the ability of society to adapt to a wide range of environments that it could not have in earlier times. At the same time, industries such as steel, coal, and, later, oil supported this diversity well into the 20th Century. Ironically, it took two world wars to foster a shift from the "hard" Industrial Revolution to what might be termed the "soft" Industrial Revolution characterized by computers and circuit boards.