California led the way in many technological advancements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including developing the Pelton turbine which brought hydroelectric power to the state. The state also pioneered vacuum tube technology, flight and aviation, with the Montgomery brothers making the first powered flight in 1883. California shaped aviation and many famous aviation companies like Lockheed were founded there. The state also led in fields like astronomy, electronics, and biotechnology with inventions like the cyclotron and developments in semiconductors and the internet. California similarly shaped arts and culture, becoming the epicenter of the film industry and home to many famous writers that captured the state's natural beauty and social themes in their work.

1. “California” by Kevin StarrBy: Michelle Kocin

2. Chapter 10: Seeking Utopia through Science and TechnologyCalifornia took lead in engineering and technologyPelton turbine was developed in 1880 in California which brought hydroelectricity to the stateTook the lead in vacuum tube technology which made it possible for radio and televisionIn April of 1863 the California Academy of Sciences was establishedIn 1883 John and James Montgomery made a 38 pound lighter than air glider in Otay MesaCalifornia took the lead in technology for flight and airplane advancementsIn 1876 there was the first electrical arc lights and reflectors display on market street- first public illumination by electricity in the world

3. Chapter 10 (continued)The Montgomery brothers had the first recorded heavier than air flight in human history in 1883. John died in 1911 falling to his death in one of their planesAviation would shape California, and California would shape AviationCalifornia had an air show in 1910Over the next 10 years such names as Lockheed, Northrop, and Martin entered into the field.Lockheed brothers had the first passenger-carrying seaplane in 1911Douglas and Martin began a company where they were producing a plane a weekCharles Lindberg worked for T. Claude Ryan and flew across the Atlantic in 1927Donald Douglas was the creator of the DC-3- which is the most serviceable airplane in aviation history. They carried 95% of the civilian traffic in the United StatesThree San Franciscans: James Lick (Lick Observatory), Richard Samuel Floyd, and George Davidson played key roles in astronomical traditionsJohn Hooker made at the time the most powerful telescope on earth, with glass 13 inches thick. It was finished in 1917 and increased the observable universe by 300%

4. Chapter 10 (continued)In 1912 Lee de Forest invented a vacuum tube called the Audion that converted alternating current to direct current and functioned as an amplifier.Edwin Armstrong had almost the same invention, and had a long patent battle with de Forest, in which he lost and eventually committed suicideDe Forest went on the develop the Audion as an oscillator for radiotelephone transmission- which would lead to radio, television, and motion picture soundFarnsworth invented a “orthicon” which in 1927 was able to transmit a simple image through electronic meansIn 1937 the first klystron tube was invented which was designed to amplify microwave signals into an ultra-high frequency current- key component of success for the radarHewlett and Packer designed and built radio oscillator to generate electrical signals- to produce high-quality toneHewlett Packard is now a company that began in a garage in palo AltoErnest lawrence invented a cyclotron in 1931 which generated high energy beams of nuclear particles that made exploration of atomic nucleus possibleThe invention of the semiconductor was a huge invention that replaced the expensive and large vacuum tubes1983 the introduction of the internetCalifornian’s also took lead in biotechnology

5. Chapter 11:Art and Life on the Coast of DreamsFilm, radio, and television were developed in California dependant upon the electronic technologies discussed earlierCalifornia also had important roles in architecture, poetry, literature, painting, and music

6. Chapter 11 (continued)Such famous films as “the Count of Monte Cristo”, “The Ten Commandments”, “Gone with the Wind”, “ Frankenstein”, and “Dracula” were all produced in CaliforniaThe movie companies included: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bro., Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Universal, Columbia, and united Artists were all created in the 1920’s and 1930’s.Hollywood became solidly enlisted in the war efforts

7. Chapter 11 (continued)California writers and poets focused on themes such as nature, the relationship of people to nature, the self against society, frontier life, etc.Every writer had his own way of expressing the nature, the here and now, and lifeSome famous poets and writers include John Steinbeck who wrote the famous “Grapes of Wrath”, Dashiell Hammett.William Everson, and Gary Snyder were considered the two most important post-Jeffers poets of California

8. Chapter 11 (continued)California was the most urbanized and suburbanized state in the nation according to the US census.California painters were occupied with lanscapes through the 1920’s, most artists working in the postimpressionist styleSociety of Six: perceived a whole new range of hues and built the environment of the bay areaDepression brought social Realism to California especially with watercoloristsMurals were a huge thing in the 1930s with their ability to make political statements

9. Sources“California: A History”by Kevin StarrChapter 10: Seeking Utopia through Science and TechnologyChapter 11: Art and Life on the Coast of Dreams