Why It Matters Now Most businesses in Texas today were
influenced by changes that occurred after World War II.
Slide 2
AviationElectronics Aeronautics Travel Technology and the
Expanding Economy 1950s & 60s
Slide 3
By the end of WWII, Texas highways were crowded and id
desperate need of repair. In 1956, Congress passed the Federal Aid
Highway Act. The government paid 90% of building more than 40,000
miles of roads linking every major city in the country. Over 3,200
of those roads were in Texas. With new roads, trucks soon replaced
railroads as the primary means of carrying goods to market. With
improved highways came increased auto salesmore cars meant more
petroleum products.
Slide 4
The highways attracted new businesses aimed at business
travelers, truckers, and vacationers. These new businesses created
new jobs for Texas workers Fast-food restaurants Motels with modern
conveniences (TV, a/c,) became common along Texas highways Because
manufacturing was also growing, many of these modern conveniences
were created or built here in Texas.
Slide 5
Aviation technology began to grow with the highway industry. In
1950, Lawrence Bell established Bell Helicopter and built the
worlds first helicopter factory. General Dynamics, Boeing, and
Texas Instruments all played major roles in the air-defense
industry during the 1950s. When the 1960s came along, the
popularity of high- speed jet air travel soaredjumbo jets made it
possible to fly from the U.S. to Europe in a fraction of the time
that it took by boat. Texas would need new urban airportsHouston
Intercontinental was built in 1969, and DFW Airport was opened in
1974
Slide 6
Along with advances in air travel and aviation technology came
new, complex electronics. Texas companies such as Texas instruments
and Collins Radio made great strides in electronics technology.
Gordon Teal, a Dallas engineer, invented a silicon transistor in
1954. Four years later, another Dallas engineer named Jack Kilby,
created the integrated circuit. Together, these two inventions led
to the creation of the computer chip.
Slide 7
Because of Texas high tech industries, in 1961, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) named Houston the home
of its new Manned Spacecraft Center. It would open in 1963, and by
1966, the space center had more than 5,000 employees on 1,620
acres.
Slide 8
In April, 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent a memo to Vice
President Lyndon B. Johnson, asking him to look into the state of
America's space program, and into programs that could offer NASA
the opportunity to catch up to the Soviets. Johnson responded about
one week later, concluding that the United States needed to do much
more to reach a leadership status in space exploration. Johnson
recommended that a piloted moon landing was far enough in the
future that it was likely that the United States could achieve it
first. On 25 May, 1961, Kennedy announced his support for the
Apollo program and redefined the ultimate goal of the Space Race in
an address to a special joint session of Congress: "I believe that
this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this
decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him
safely to the earth." His justification for the Moon Race was both
that it was vital to national security and that it would focus the
nation's energies in other scientific and social fields.
Slide 9
In 1962, president John F. Kennedy gives a speech to 35,000
people at Rice University in Houston near the future NASA Mission
Control Center. He gives reasons for the advancement of the space
program and explains his goal to win the worldwide race to put a
person on the moon. and do all this, and do it right, and do it
first before this decade is outthen we must be bold.
Slide 10
DateSignificanceCountryMission Name August 21,
1957Intercontinental ballistic missileIntercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM) USSRR-7 SemyorkaR-7 Semyorka SS-6 Sapwood October 4,
1957First artificial satellitesatellite USSRSputnik 1 November 3,
1957First animal in orbit (Dog) USSRSputnik 2 January 31, 1958First
US satellite; detection of Van Allen beltsVan Allen belts
USAExplorer 1 December 18, 1958First communications
satellitecommunications satellite USAProject SCORE January 4,
1959Artificial satellite (Sun's) USSRLuna 1 February 17,
1959Weather satellite USA-NASAVanguard 2 June 1959Reconnaissance
satellite USA-Air ForceDiscover 4 August 7, 1959Photo of Earth from
space USA-NASAExplorer 6 September 14, 1959Probe to Moon USSRLuna 2
October 7, 1959Photo of the far side of the Moon USSRLuna 3 April
12, 1961Human in orbit USSRVostok 1 July 10, 1962First active
communications satellitecommunications satellite
USA-AT&TTelstar September 29, 1962Artificial satellite by a
non-superpower CanadaAlouette 1 June 16, 1963Woman in orbit
USSRVostok 6 March 18, 1965Extra-vehicular activity USSRVoskhod 2
December 15, 1965Orbital rendezvous 2rendezvous USA-NASAGemini
6AGemini 6A/Gemini 7Gemini 7 March 1, 1966Probe lands on another
planet - VenusVenus USSRVenera 3 March 16, 1966In-orbit
rendezvousIn-orbit rendezvous and docking USA-NASAGemini 8 December
24, 1968Manned Lunar orbit USA-NASAApollo 8 July 20, 1969Human on
the Moon USA-NASAApollo 11 April 23, 1971Space station USSRSalyut 1
November 14, 1971Satellite orbits another planet - MarsMars
USA-NASAMariner 9 November 9, 1972GeostationaryGeostationary
communications satellite Canada-BCEAnik A1 July 15, 1975First
U.S.-USSR joint mission USSR USA-NASAApollo-Soyuz Test Project
