There has been a huge amount of progression in computing, and therefore in technology overall, in the last 30-50 years. Has there ever been a similar period of rapid technological advancement in such a short period of time?

by cah242

I searched the subreddit and looked at the wiki, so hopefully this hasn't been answered before. I was watching "Halt and Catch Fire," and thought about how far we've come in such a short period of time. I wondered if something similar has ever happened in the past, or if computers have made a huge difference in the speed of technological progression.

cldavies

I would argue that the technologies associates with nuclear physics had a similarly rapid track from theory to application. With the discovery of fission taking place in 1938, it was only 4 years before the 1st self-sustaining chain reaction, 6 years to breeder reactors and 7 years to weaponization. By 1956, the first power plant reactors were developed.