7/12/2013

The Major Changes To Society That Have Happened During The Life Of Richard Overton

By Stacey Massey


Richard Overton has the incredible distinction of being the oldest war veteran still alive. Currently 107 years of age, he lives in East Austin, Texas, and in 2013 visited the capital of the United States, Washington, D. C., for the very first time. As homage to the extraordinary life of Overton, here are four of the most influential inventions during his mammoth lifetime.

During Overton's life, the dietary consumption of the typical US citizen has undergone a huge adjustment. Television is massive and, as part of the adjustment to this, mealtimes changed. The TV dinner, so-called because that's what it was created for, to watch in from the the tube, became a huge part of American life.

They didn't start of as being particularly popular. Created in the forties, they didn't really take off with the public until the 1950s. They were modeled on the food served by airlines on planes, which usually came in a plastic tray and often contained meat, vegetables and a starch. The airlines were able to freeze these meals and take them out for passengers. When they hit the market, the TV dinner was processed at factories and distributed to local stores. With the advent of the microwave customers could cook them from frozen. Critics suggested that they made the focus of meals more about the TV than about being with family, but sales of $4billion a year mean they are as popular as ever.

The cell phone is a modern creation that has changed millions of lives around the globe. When it was made, like other inventions before it, it didn't really catch the imagination of the public. The DynaTAC from Motorola was huge and had to be stored in a briefcase when not in use.

Nowadays, phones are light and they are able to be carried around in the palm or in the pocket. They are are less expensive as well, because, whereas in 1983 the DynaTAC might have set someone back $4,000, these days they are much cheaper.

Food has played a major role in our evolution and the way we store food has been transformed during Overton's lifetime.Even though refrigeration has been around in one form or another over the past couple of centuries, the ability to store items at home had been impaired before the advent of home refrigeration. In the 1920s that changed and people now can take for granted the ability to store fresh food for several days rather than hours.

No list of influential things would be complete without an honorable mention to the Internet. Communication has been transformed and the world has seemingly become a very small place. The way in which business is conducted has changed and so has the way we get our information. It is considered by some to be the greatest change to our society of all time.

Richard Overton has seen many changes throughout his life and though it can be argued that four is not nearly enough to mention, he has certainly seen some of the most monumental. For his part, Overton credits his long life to living stress-free and remaining active.




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