{Updated 10:30 am ET/USA: 07/28/2011} Chip Berlet
The commercial media is bean-counting how many times a name appears in Breivik's Manifesto. What seldom gets mentioned is that Breivik has a core thesis which Breivik articulates many times in many ways. Here it is in my short formula for explaining Breivik's thesis:
Cultural Marxism=Political Correctness=Multiculturalism=Muslim Immigration=Destruction of Judeo-Christian nations
In other words, Breivik believes that "Political Correctness" should be exposed as a conspiracy by "Cultural Marxists" to destroy sovereign Christian nations and is the reason for political leaders allowing mass Muslim migration into Europe.
The theoretical lineage of Breivk's thesis is primarily from cultural conservatives William S. Lind and the late Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation, and to a lesser extent articles published by the LaRouche network.
Most significant is a collection of essays published by the Free Congress Foundation in 2004 on cultural Marxism, political correctness, and multiculturalism. The editor of that collection was William S. Lind.
Some form of the term "Cultural Marxism" in English appears over 600 times in the Breivik manifesto and is a major focus of the Lind collection of essays with 29 mentions in a 51-page pamphlet. Lind and Weyrich, however, began writing about their concerns as early as 1997.
After dozens of hours and thousands of pages of reading I am confident that the work of William S. Lind of the Free Congress Foundation is a major conceptual influence on the core thesis of Breivik and his Manifesto.
You can watch Lind explain his thesis on this video: History of Political Correctness which features Lind, Islamophobe David Horowitz, and Nazi collaborator Laszlo Pasztor who denied his past and was celebrated as a heroic anti-communist while he was an advisor on Eastern Europe to Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation.
The video helps explain Brievik's views on sexuality and gender, especially the misogyny.
Since bean-counting matters:
- Breivik's Manifesto includes some variation of the word multicultural 1164 times
- Breivik's Manifesto includes some variation of the words Marx and Marxism 1137 times
- Breivik's Manifesto includes some variation of "cultural Marxism" or "cultural Marxist" 647 times
- Breivik's Manifesto includes the term "political correctness" 148 times
Breivik in his Manifesto, incorporates whole sections of other authors' work. The Manifesto is a compilation and compendium with Breivik's comments, text, and a self-interview included.
According to Dennis King, the original party line in the LaRouche cadre organization was set in an essay by LaRouche himself in 1977, "The Case of Walter Lipmann". A long examination of LaRoucher's conspiracy theory appeared as "The New Dark Age: The Frankfurt School and `Political Correctness'" in Fidelio, Vol. 1, No. 1, Winter 1992 (KMW Publishing, Washington, DC). Fidelio was LaRouche's culture and arts magazine.
But since LaRouche considers himself an extension of Marx, Marxism itself is not critiqued, but a plot by the Frankfurt School ideologues to create a "New Dark Age" which crushes Christian nations. LaRouche wrote a book: The Science of Christian Economy, and other prison writings, by Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., 1991, 506 pp, which expanded the framework for the attacks on the Frankfurt School theoreticians.
According to scholar Martin Jay, the Frankfurt School has long been a scapeoat for right-wing conspiracy theorists complaining about "political correctness."
See: Martin Jay, 2011, "Dialectic of Counter-Enlightenment: The Frankfurt School as Scapegoat of the Lunatic Fringe," Salmagundi, 169, (Fall 2010-Winter 2011) in which Jay traces the history of this mania including a discussion of the LaRouche connection.
Sarah Posner shows "How Breivik’s 'Cultural Analysis' is Drawn from the “Christian Worldview”
The U.S. Christian Right project against Secular Humanism spearheaded by Lind, Weyrich, xenophobic demagogue Pat Buchanan and Christian Right conspiracist Tim LaHaye appears to be aimed at the political Left and US Democratic Party liberals, but dig deeper and it invokes antisemitic tropes among some readers.
At first this Christian Right conspiracy claim was linked to godless communism as the puppet-master of secular humanism; and recently it has shifted to a primary linkage with liberals, the Democratic Party, and Islam as a false religion.
According to historian of religion George Marsden, the shift in focus from communism to a more generic secular humanist demon:
“revitalized fundamentalist conspiracy theory. Fundamentalists always had been alarmed at moral decline within America but often had been vague as to whom, other than the Devil, to blame. The “secular humanist” thesis gave this central concern a clearer focus that was more plausible and of wider appeal than the old mono-causal communist-conspiracy accounts. Communism and socialism could, of course, be fit right into the humanist picture; but so could all the moral and legal changes at home without implausible scenarios of Russian agents infiltrating American schools, government, reform movements, and mainline churches.”[Marsden, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism, p. 109.]
Popular theologian Francis A. Schaeffer helped develop the philosophical arguments for Christians to challenge secular humanism, but he didn’t make it a conspiracy theory. That was the task of Christian Right ideologues such as Tim LaHaye, who wrote series of books in the 1980s that elaborated on the liberal secular humanist conspiracy and how conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists had to become politically active to stop the plot.
LaHaye and others also began to link the battle against liberal secular humanism to a specific reading of prophecy in the book of Revelation.
So we are faced with a political opposition that is based on religious energy shaped by apocalyptic demonization and conspiracist scapegoating.
Brenda Brasher, a sociologist of religion, points out that:
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"...once a political struggle has been raised to a level of cosmic significance, it is difficult to resolve:
In this form, apocalypticism leaves no room for ambiguity in the stories told about the “Other.” There is a real hardening of sides. We are good, they are evil. This is not a disagreement, but a struggle with evil incarnate, so there is no structure for a peaceful reconciliation.
People are cast in their roles as either enemy or friend and there is no such thing as middle ground. In the battle with evil, can you really say you are neutral?"
So we see whole sectors of the Christian Right seeking political power through various forms of dominionism, and in some cases pursuing a zealous form theocracy.
But few conservative Christian evangelicals really want a theocracy, so for us the issue is to find a way to reframe the public political debate to provide room for theological beliefs that we may disagree with, but to make transparent and public the problem of Christian Right leaders using dualistic apocalyptic beliefs and demonizing conspiracy theories as a narrative that trumps actual political debate in the secular arena provided under the Constitution and Bill of Rights. See Gorenberg: Left Behind series.
A few years after the LaRouchite article, perhaps around 1997, William S. Lind and Paul Weyrich (unwittingly or wittingly) expanded on the thesis of LaRouche. Much of this discussion appeared on the website of the Free Congress Foundation, but has now been removed.
An example of Lind's work is an essay on "What is Cultural Marxism?"
According to Lind:
Cultural Marxism is a branch of western Marxism, different from the Marxism-Leninism of the old Soviet Union. It is commonly known as "multiculturalism" or, less formally, Political Correctness. From its beginning, the promoters of cultural Marxism have known they could be more effective if they concealed the Marxist nature of their work, hence the use of terms such as "multiculturalism."
In a circa 1997-1998 essay, Lind writes:
The next conservatism should unmask multiculturalism and Political Correctness and tell the American people what they really are: cultural Marxism. Its goal remains what Lukacs and Gramsci set in 1919: destroying Western culture and the Christian religion.
This is almost identical to the core thesis of the Breivik manifesto. This version of Lind's views is currently (as of July 26, 2011) posted as an educartional resource at "The American Conservative Union Foundation: Conservative University: Transfering Conservatism to the Next Generation" as Unmasking Political Correctness by William S. Lind
According to Lind, apparently refering to a longer document or periodical:
In this edition, Paul Weyrich refers to "cultural Marxism." He asked me, as Free Congress Foundation's resident historian, to write this column explaining what cultural Marxism is and where it came from.
In February 1999 the late Paul Weyrich, founder of the Free Congress Foundation, wrote a short Manifesto in which he stated, "Those who came up with Political Correctness, which we more accurately call "Cultural Marxism," did so in a deliberate fashion...it is impossible to ignore the fact that the United States is becoming an ideological state [under the] ideology of Political Correctness, which openly calls for the destruction of our traditional culture." The Weyrich statement was mischaracterized as a retreat from the Culture Wars when in fact Weyrich was arguing that Christians stop trying to reform secular society and expand their creation of alternative social, political, and cultural institutions. A longer examonation of Weyrich's work on political correctness is in this post:
A speech by Lind in early 2000, "The Origins of Political Correctness" is posted on the website of Accuracy in Academia:
If we look at it analytically, if we look at it historically, we quickly find out exactly what it is. Political Correctness is cultural Marxism. It is Marxism translated from economic into cultural terms. It is an effort that goes back not to the 1960s and the hippies and the peace movement, but back to World War I. If we compare the basic tenets of Political Correctness with classical Marxism the parallels are very obvious...
For actual information on the Frankfurt School and its Theorists:
http://www.wbenjamin.org/links4.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/adorno/
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm
n his Manifesto's Glossary of Terms, Breivik includes a very large block of text to define in detail the concept of what he calls "Cultural Marxism/multiculturalism:"
Cultural Marxist/Multiculturalist Alliance: the alliance of European political, cultural and media elites (cultural Marxists/multiculturalists) who support the implementation of multiculturalism/cultural Marxism/cultural relativism.
Cultural Marxism/multiculturalism: term describing the current Western European/US political/moral systems based on "political correctness" - a mix of Marxism, extreme egalitarianism, suicidal humanism, anti-nationalism, anti-Europeanism and capitalist globalism. The ML ideology or political platform (Maoist-Leninism) ML which is also a European hate ideology, was later refined "toned down" and disguised and incorporated into politically correct movements such as; feminism, pro-drugs, pro-sexual revolusion, anti-racism, anti-fascism, anti-Christendom, anti-capitalism, gay and disability rights movements, environmentalism etc. (see chapters explaining the Frankfurt School).
The current ideology is in fact a "communism light" or a deceptive form of communism which was created and propagated as soon as the Marxist-Leninists' understood that the Europeans globally (Western Europe, US, Canada, Australia) would not follow the example of their Russian comrades (in early 20th century).
Feminism (including Sexual Revolution), egalitarianism, humanism are highly compatible and/or similar overlapping political concepts/ideologies. The purpose of cultural Marxism is to destroy or deconstruct Western Civilisation (where the Christian European patriarchy has dominated historically) and instead create the USASSR/EUSSR, a communist utopia based on Marxist-Leninist principles. In order to achieve this they must destroy traditional European social cohesion in society which is the basis for traditional European nation states.
They are therefore focused on the gradual deconstruction of European cultures, identities and the traditional structures (nuclear family, traditional morality and patriarchal structures) which has dominated humanity for the last 300 000 years. They understood early that political indoctrination would not be enough. They must destroy the very fabric of Europeanism so they (together with humanists and capitalist globalists) pushed for mass-third world immigraton.
However, they made one critical mistake. They underestimated Islam which proved to be simply too resilient to be assimilated/pacified/feminised, even for them. Communism is often used when describing a complete ideology (economical principles included) while "cultural Marxism" does not describe economical principles.
In an extraordinary piece of investigative journalism, Tom Walker found that Breivik had actually plagiarised Lind:
Breivik | Lind |
| One of conservatism’s most important insights is that all ideologies are wrong. Ideology takes an intellectual system, a product of one or more philosophers, and says, “This system must be true.” Inevitably, reality ends up contradicting the system, usually on a growing number of points. But the ideology, by its nature, cannot adjust to reality; to do so would be to abandon the system. | As Russell Kirk wrote, one of conservatism’s most important insights is that all ideologies are wrong. Ideology takes an intellectual system, a product of one or more philosophers, and says, “This system must be true.” Inevitably, reality ends up contradicting the system, usually on a growing number of points. But the ideology, by its nature, cannot adjust to reality; to do so would be to abandon the system. |
| Therefore, reality must be suppressed. If the ideology has power, it uses its power to undertake this suppression. It forbids writing or speaking certain facts. Its goal is to prevent not only expression of thoughts that contradict what “must be true,” but thinking such thoughts. In the end, the result is inevitably the concentration camp, the gulag and the grave. | Therefore, reality must be suppressed. If the ideology has power, it uses its power to undertake this suppression. It forbids writing or speaking certain facts. Its goal is to prevent not only expression of thoughts that contradict what “must be true,” but thinking such thoughts. In the end, the result is inevitably the concentration camp, the gulag and the grave. |
| But what happens today to Europeans who suggest that there are differences among ethnic groups, or that the traditional social roles of men and women reflect their different natures, or that homosexuality is morally wrong? If they are public figures, they must grovel in the dirt in endless, canting apologies. If they are university students, they face star chamber courts and possible expulsion. If they are employees of private corporations, they may face loss of their jobs. What was their crime? Contradicting the new EUSSR ideology of “Political Correctness.” | While some Americans have believed in ideologies, America itself never had an official, state ideology – up until now. But what happens today to Americans who suggest that there are differences among ethnic groups, or that the traditional social roles of men and women reflect their different natures, or that homosexuality is morally wrong? If they are public figures, they must grovel in the dirt in endless, canting apologies. If they are university students, they face star chamber courts and possible expulsion. If they are employees of private corporations, they may face loss of their jobs. What was their crime? Contradicting America’s new state ideology of “Political Correctness.” |
Taken From Public Eye
You might have more in common with your great-grandparents than that receding hairline or cleft chin; some of your favorite brands might have been used by your predecessors, even as early as the Civil War. And while your elders may not be transitioning into the digital age with ease (or at all), several of America's oldest brands have thrived through multiple technology changes. Here are 10 well known brands that appear a lot younger than they are.
It's probably not surprising that alcohol is as in demand today as ever. But Jim Beam, the familiar brand of bourbon whiskey, has maintained success as one of the top sellers of whiskey since 1795 and is one of the oldest American liquor brands. Though it faced a little hiccup during Prohibition, it picked up where it left off after the big ban ended and now produces several variations of Jim Beam whiskey. Its recent marketing campaigns have brought the brand into the digital age, with a focus on music and sports by pairing with Kid Rock and ESPN, creating a series of webisodes for the latter. They are also now sponsoring a concert series featuring several well-known bands and musicians. This isn't the first time Jim Beam has focused on music, though. In the early '90s, they held a talent contest. The winning duo: Montgomery Gentry, a band that has since been nominated for Grammy Awards and played for millions of fans.
Colgate started out making soaps in 1806 and has been making toothpaste since 1873. In fact, Colgate was the producer of the first toothpaste in a tube, creating the eternal debate between spouses over whether the tube should be squeezed from the bottom or middle. As a company, Colgate joined forces with Palmolive in 1928, but they maintained the popularity of Colgate Toothpaste. This may be due in part to Colgate's competition with Procter & Gamble's Crest Toothpaste starting in 1955, and the two are therefore pushed to be on the cutting edge of marketing. For example, both sponsored soap operas when TV was first gaining popularity, and they each are on top of the latest trends in oral care, such as whitening and gum care. Colgate, though, ingeniously repositioned its brand when dentists were recommending that people brush three times a day. Knowing that most people wouldn't follow that recommendation, Colgate Toothpaste promoted itself as "The toothpaste for people who can only brush twice a day," giving it an edge over competition that were presumably for the thrice-a-day brushers.
Since Brooks Brothers first started in 1818, — which makes it the oldest clothing store in the U.S. — it has seen a lot of competitors rise and fall. Created as a men's clothing store in New York, Brooks Brothers now makes women's, boy's, and girl's clothes and has stores all over the world. In the mid-1900s, the company stayed modern by providing ready-to-wear, traditional suits during a time when men wore suits almost every day. Today the company has maintained its popularity by catering to executives, politicians, and movie stars. By creating an elite image, Brooks Brothers remains in the public eye, worn by actors on the big and small screen. Some of these include George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Will Smith. President Barack Obama even wore Brooks Brothers accessories at his inauguration, further cementing the company's place in modern American life.
When it comes to branding, Tiffany & Co. may be the best in the business. This famous jewelry store was started in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and has come to be known as one of the strongest brands in the world. The company helped refine some of the traditions that go along with engagement and marriage, which has enabled it to keep its hold on the hearts of the country, or at least the women's hearts. In 1886, before diamonds were the traditional choice for an engagement ring, Tiffany created the Tiffany Setting diamond engagement ring, one diamond in a six-prong setting, the first of its kind. It became an iconic ring that many women dream of receiving from their boyfriends, even today. The trademark Tiffany Blue also became a symbol of exclusivity; you can only get the robin's egg blue box with a purchase. Tie that in with the hit movie Breakfast at Tiffany's and the status of Audrey Hepburn as a timeless style icon, and Tiffany & Co. can't be shaken, even in a recession.
Known today for their juices and apple sauce, Mott's began in 1842 making apple cider and vinegar, pressed by a horse-powered mill. The company gained popularity by showcasing its products at world fairs and national exhibitions. The Mott's brand has stayed on top of the latest technologies and led the country in innovating fruit products, claiming to have introduced the American palate to apple juice. The company has managed to stay modern by refocusing marketing on the concerns of the contemporary woman. In the 1960s, when women were very concerned with watching their figures, Mott's started producing low-calorie juices and adult foods. Today, Mott's is capitalizing on the market of moms looking for quick, healthy snack choices for their children.
The longevity of the American Express brand lies in its ability to find new demands when its old purposes have gone out of fashion. It certainly wouldn't be around today if it had stuck with its original business of express mail. Sure, that was an important service in 1850 when American Express first started, but the company would've died long ago without frequent repurposing. In the 1880s, it introduced its own money order service and started the first large-scale traveler's check system as an alternative to letters of credit, which kept the company relevant then but are of little use to individuals today. The charge card, which is what we mainly know American Express for now, was introduced in 1958 and quickly became an indispensable financial tool. The company has been ranked as one of the top 25 most valuable brands in the world.
The idea for Jell-O goes all the way back to 1845 when a man got a patent for a gelatin dessert, but it wasn't until 1897 that a different man, Pearle B. Wait, added fruit flavoring and called it Jell-O. When Wait sold the company to Orator Francis Woodward in 1899, Jell-O's business began to take off. Jell-O's advertising campaigns from that point forward have kept the brand fresh. They started with salesmen going door to door to give away samples of Jell-O to housewives and have employed countless celebrities (including Kewpie Dolls and Bill Cosby) and marketing angles over the years. In the early 1900s, Jell-O was even served on Ellis Island to welcome new immigrants to America. Considered a children's snack for many years now, Jell-O is currently repositioning itself as a treat for adults, too, with commercials aimed at parents.
The well known tractor company started with a guy named John Deere (no surprise there) in 1837. Deere was a blacksmith-turned-farmer who made a steel plow to fit his needs and then began selling it. The demand for the steel plows was high from the start because of the tough Midwestern land, and John Deere has managed to stay at the top of the farm equipment industry. This is partly due to the strong brand created from the beginning, using the leaping dear logo that was born in 1876, and partly due to the company's diversification through the years. As early as 1870, John Deere had five product lines, and today they make equipment to fit the needs of the modern American — everything from lawn mowers to golf clubs to foresting equipment.
It's hard to believe that blue jeans have been around since 1873 considering how much we continue to wear them 140 years later. Levi Strauss & Co. patented the idea, though it was first used on denim overalls, and when the modern jeans were introduced, they were worn only by the working class of the Western U.S. But the magic of Levi Strauss is in the quality of the idea. The changes over the years to Levi's Jeans have been minor adaptations to tailor the product to fashion fads, but despite the variations in cut and wash, jeans are still jeans. And though Levi Strauss isn't the only producer of jeans now that the patent has long since expired, they maintain a loyal following and a brand based around their history and the fact that they invented blue jeans.
Coca-Cola was invented in 1886, more than 10 years before its main competitor, Pepsi. The original appeal of the soda is obvious, but once cocaine was removed, the brand carried Coca-Cola through to success. Even as they've added new products and new variations of the Coke recipe, Coca-Cola has stayed modern, strangely, by playing up their classic roots. The branding has emphasized its vintage history by using the same logo since the beginning, and there is always some advertisement in circulation with a wholesome Americana feel to it. Norman Rockwell-like illustrations have shown Santa enjoying Coke from the classic glass bottle and photos of typical Americans, from cowboys to New Yorkers, enjoying Coca-Cola to promote the brand as a true American company. On the flip side of its branding, Coca-Cola has capitalized on product placement opportunities, showing that it remains a staple in modern life.
Best known for inventing the cotton gin, Eli Whitney was a pivotal figure in shaping the Industrial Revolution here in the United States. While his invention would strengthen the economic foundation of slavery in the South (making cotton a profitable crop), that was likely never Whitney’s intention, and he spent most of his life embroiled in legal battles over patent infringement. Of course, the cotton gin wasn’t this enterprising inventor’s only contribution, as he revolutionized the use of interchangeable parts on weapons, though it is what helped put him on the map.
A mechanical and electrical engineer and inventor, Tesla’s innovations are a big part of the things we use each and every day in our lives. Tesla was a key figure in developing commercial electricity, pushing forward alternating current systems (much to the chagrin of Thomas Edison, who favored direct current) and driving the Second Industrial Revolution. While regarded by many as a mad scientist for his unbridled enthusiasm and often bizarre claims, Tesla is nonetheless one of the most brilliant engineering minds in history — and a man whose ideas were often ahead of his time.
Most students are quite familiar with the names of these two pioneers in manned flight. While the Wright Brothers were not the only ones working on airplanes, nor perhaps even the first to be successful, they are certainly the most well-known in the development of aeronautic technology. The brothers built and tested numerous prototypes before finding success with a three-axis controlled craft that could be easily steered and handled. While many may doubt their status as the first in flight, there is no doubt that the wind-tunnel research they conducted led to the engineering of more efficient propellers and wings.
The term "Renaissance man" was coined for men like Leonardo, who dabbled in everything from math to music to art to engineering. While he was not solely an engineer, he left behind a record of numerous inventions, with plans for the construction of a wide range of devices — including musical instruments, mortar shells, steam cannons and a hydraulic pump. Some doubt his prowess as an inventor and engineer because not all of his devices worked when constructed (they were tested in 2003 on a BBC program), but his imagination and ability to think beyond the reach of his time were unrivaled by his peers.
Thomas Edison is often referred to as the "Wizard of Menlo Park," a title earned for the amazing amount of inventions and patents he produced during his lifetime — over 1,093 in the U.S. and Europe. Some of these would change the world, including the phonograph, motion picture camera, and a long-lasting light bulb, though there were many others with smaller (but still significant) impact. Engineers can also give thanks to Edison for pioneering the first industrial research laboratory, which helped accelerate the pace of invention.
Brunel’s name might not be familiar to most Americans, but perhaps it should be. A British civil engineer, Brunel was responsible for revolutionizing modern transport and engineering not only in the UK, but around the world. Some of his biggest projects included the Great Western Railway (the first major railway in Britain), the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship and new designs for bridges, tunnels (including one under a river — the first of its kind) and roadways throughout the country. These are all still held up today as models of great civil engineering.
von Braun is a bit of a controversial figure, but one whom engineers should still study, as he helped revolutionize the field of rocket science and aerospace engineering. A leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and a Nazi war hero, von Braun emigrated to the United States (as part of a secret government project called Operation Paperclip) after the war and begun working with NASA. It was there that he would become regarded as one of the preeminent engineers of the 20th century, developing the Saturn V booster rocket that helped to land the first men on the Moon.
The Eiffel Tower may be regarded as a cheesy tourist destination today, but when it was built it was an engineering marvel. Structural engineer Gustave Eiffel built the icon for the Great Exposition of 1900, and at the time it was the tallest man-made structure in the world (and would be for over 40 years). Eiffel would go on to design and build many more buildings and bridges around the world, using his tower to complete research on aerodynamics, meteorology and radio broadcasting.
Babbage dabbled in a wide range of pursuits from math to philosophy to mechanical engineering, for which he is perhaps best known. It was Babbage who first came up with the idea for the programmable computer, designing and building the first mechanical example as early as the 19th century. While Babbage lost funding and could not complete his research, modern constructions based on his plans worked like a charm. He truly was the father of the computer, with a working difference engine (a sort of primitive computer) and accompanying printer to his name.
This Russian scientist was a pioneer in rocketry and astronautics, and his research may have contributed to the success of the Russian space exploration program during the Cold War. A recluse and hermit, Tsiolkovsky spent a great deal of time working on astronautical theories, many of which are quite bizarre (he believed colonizing space would lead to the perfection of the human race, for example). Yet the science he create to help support his more philosophical ideas was groundbreaking, designing rockets, boosters, space stations, airlocks and even colonies — many of which were used in actual space exploration.
Gutenberg was not an engineer by trade, but a printer and blacksmith. Nonetheless, the device he designed and built would go on to change the world in a way that few others have. His invention of moveable type and the printing press started a revolution that allowed books and other printed material to be widely distributed to the masses, with far-reaching effects.
An engineer, scientist, inventor and innovator, Bell is still a household name almost a century after his death. He was responsible for some truly groundbreaking inventions throughout his lifetime, most notably the telephone, which revolutionized modern communication. His other research in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics were also impressive, and help make him a figure every engineering student should work to learn more about.
While the field of computer science has been and continues to be dominated by men, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few key female figures in its development as well. Hopper is one of those women. While working in the Navy, she was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, going on to develop the first compiler for a programming language. Students who don’t know her name will know a term she is famous for, however. Hopper coined "debugging" when a moth got caught in the working parts of the computer she was working with.
Ancient engineers deserve some love on this list, too, and few are a better choice than Archimedes. A mathematician, physicist and astronomer in addition to being an engineer, he was one of the leading scientists recorded in Classical antiquity. Among his inventions were a screw pump (which bears his name), ship lifting machines and a variety of tactical weapons.
Otto didn’t necessarily invent the internal combustion engine; he just came up with a way to improve it that would revolutionize how it was used — specifically, becoming the engine of choice in automobiles. Otto’s engine was different from that of his predecessors in that implemented a four stroke process to efficiently burn fuel in a piston chamber. Today, while this model has been modified, the internal combustion engine can be found in everything from cars to boats to aircraft.
A rival of Edison and a proponent of Tesla, Westinghouse was an integral part of the first years of the electrical industry. While he would go on to make a sizeable fortune in this market, he was also a committed engineer and developed several of his own highly successful devices, including the railway air brake. Westinghouse also helped to revolutionize hydroelectric power and implemented the first large-scale transformers to efficiently move electrical power.
Like others on this list, Faraday wasn’t strictly an engineer, but his discoveries and inventions were to lead to some world-changing innovations later on down the line. A pioneer in physics and chemistry, he established the basis for the electromagnetic field, discovering electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and the laws of electrolysis in the process. This research helped him to develop the first electromagnetic rotary devices, which formed the foundation for electric motor technology.
While controversial, biological engineering and research has changed how we eat, farm and look at and use food. George Washington Carver made some amazing discoveries in this field at the turn of the 20th century, developing a number of products that could be made from peanuts — an alternative crop that saved the economy of a South struggling under poor cotton harvests. Carver also came up with dozens of new uses for other Southern crops like sweet potatoes, soybeans and pecans.
Many said that the dome on the Florence Cathedral simply couldn’t be built, but Brunelleschi proved them wrong. Perhaps his most notable engineering achievement, the dome was a marvel at the time and still provides an awe-inspiring look at the power of invention for visitors today. Brunelleschi didn’t limit himself to architectural engineering, however, and was responsible for designing and building everything from hydraulics to clockwork mechanisms. Not too shabby for an engineer and all around Renaissance man living in the 15th century.
You don’t get a unit of measure named after you without being pretty darn cool (or at least pretty darn smart). Watt, an inventor and mechanical engineer, found new ways to modify the traditional stream engine, making it more efficient, powerful and cost-effective and helping spur on much of the Industrial Revolution. He developed the concept of horsepower, and as a result has the SI unit named after him.
When you ask someone if they know what time it is, you generally expect them to reach into their pocket or purse to pull out their cell phone for your answer. And if they say they don't know, you assume they're just too lazy to find their phone, because your own phone-fetching laziness is probably why you asked in the first place. It's rare, especially in the under-30 generation, for someone to quickly glance at their wrist for the answer. A study last fall found that people under the age of 25 were 50% less likely to wear a wristwatch than the older generation. Other reports suggest that those who do sport wristwatches probably think of it more as a fashion accessory than a time-telling necessity; 60% of young adults who own a watch still look at a handheld device for the time, according to a 2006 survey. As long as smartphones and laptops can do the same thing as a watch, plus much more, it's not likely that wristwatch sales will pick up again. Also being buried in the chronometer graveyard by cell phones: the alarm clock. Sixty-one percent of smartphone users say they're phone has replaced their traditional alarm clock.
Stick shifts have steadily become less popular over the last 20 years, and the number of cars sold with manual transmissions recently may indicate that this technology is on its deathbed. In 1985, almost a quarter of the cars sold were manual, and more than half of male buyers wanted to drive a stick. By 2008, only 7% of new car sales were manual and just 11% of men wanted to purchase one. Some reasons for this drop are the low number of new drivers learning on a stick, married couples who buy an automatic car because one spouse can't drive manual and because, frankly, driving a stick shift is just too much work. To top it off, more motorcycles are now being built with automatic or semi-automatic transmissions, so even the manual transmission's once-loyal leather-clad cronies are starting to make the switch.
DVDs themselves are arguably on the way out as well, but DVD players have been rendered almost completely useless. The DVD player has one obvious purpose: to play DVDs. But computers and video game consoles also have this power, plus many other, cooler capabilities. It's no wonder DVD player sales are steadily declining. The rising popularity in DVR devices has also meant people are using their DVD players less since DVR customers can record movies and shows being played on TV and watch them later, rather than bothering with clumsy DVDs. The final nail in the coffin for DVD players could be the recent change in Netflix prices and packages. Users of the service now have to choose between receiving DVDs in the mail and the extremely popular option of instantly streaming movies and TV shows online, or they can pay full price for both. This move will likely push many to forget the DVDs altogether and put their DVD player in that closet (or landfill) where they keep their VCR.
The imminent death of the landline telephone isn't surprising considering that cell phones and the Internet are displacing many different technologies. There are now more cell phones in the U.S. than landlines, and adults with cell phones talk on them about five times a day, according to the Pew Research Center. Even worse news for landlines, almost 30% of homes in the U.S. don't have landlines and another 15% have landlines but only use their cell phones. At the rate that landline sales are declining, they could almost disappear in the next 15 years. It's almost surprising that the death of landlines isn't faster with text messages, free services like Skype, and other telemarketer-free communications available.
That is, music players that don't do anything else. The cycle of musical life continues as the MP3 player follows in the footsteps of the Discman and Walkman before it and becomes outdated technology. Even the king of the MP3 player, the Apple iPod, has seen decreases as high as 17% since last year. And this is after growing declines in the two years before. While Apple may not be crying over the loss since they are still selling plenty of iPhones, which they say are the best "iPods" they've ever made, those of us who are nostalgic for a simpler time, one when you could listen to music without checking Facebook, talking to your mom, and playing Tetris all at the same time, mourn the death of the music player.
Another victim of the smartphone and our own impatience to wait for something to upload through a cord rather than the Internet, the digital camera is dying in its point-and-shoot form. The digital camera sales numbers still look good and are predicted to do well until they drop off in 2014, but this is mainly because so many people are now "into photography" and buying the pricey digital SLR models. As camera phones have become more advanced and the improvements in digital cameras have slowed, it has become less important for consumers to buy a new camera or to own one at all. Forty-four percent of people with smartphones say their phone has replaced a digital camera. Producers may try to revive the faltering digital camera market with HD and 3D options, but it's yet to be seen whether these gimmicks can overcome the convenience of a smartphone camera.
High-tech video cameras will still be used to film movies and low-tech versions will still be showing your every move to mall security guards, but you won't find every nerdy dad walking around with a video camera affixed to his hand like you would in the good old days. Even the well-received Flip camera, which had the potential to bring video cameras into the digital age, was killed off by its parent company last April. The smartphone is stepping in to fill this role in the same way it is replacing digital still cameras. More than a third of smartphone users feel like they no longer need a separate video camera. Factor in the widespread use of webcams and the ability to record video using your computers, and it's obvious why the video camera may not be around much longer.
It's surprising that fax machines aren't already dead in this paperless world. In a few small circles, documents sent over fax machines are seen as more legitimate than ones with an electronic signature, but the average person doesn't use a fax machine more than, say, once or twice a year. And you'd be hard pressed to find an individual who actually owns one of these dinosaurs. In an age of email and electronic storage, fax machines are double the paper and double the hassle. While they may still have some uses in the work place, it won't be long until scanning a document and sending it through email will become the norm.
All the technology leaders have joined the cloud movement, which allows users to store their files and data on a remote server network and then access them from anywhere. This means just one thing for external storage devices like flash drives and hard drives: doomsday. Sure, people will still probably back up their most important files on some device or another, but how can a bulky hard drive or an easily lost flash drive compete with the convenience of the cloud? It's simple to use Dropbox, email a file to yourself or keep and share a document on a service like GoogleDocs. The Internet is essentially a virtual hard drive now, and the physical hard drives will become less useful as the cloud technology progresses.
We were all thankful when personal GPS systems got rid of the need to ever fold a map again. Soon we may be thankful that GPS devices are obsolete so we don't have to deal with it falling off our windshield every time we make a turn. People are just as bad at navigating as ever, but they are increasingly turning to their smartphones for guidance rather than a windshield GPS. More than half of smartphone or tablet users said they now use their phone or tablet instead of a GPS device. Some research firms predict that sales of GPS devices will start to decline this year, due also to the increasing availability of in-dash navigation and communication systems.