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10. Time and Distance
A Radio Talk by Charles F. Kettering
When the Axis planned the war, they
took into consideration all of the facilities of communication and
transportation then known to mankind. For our Army and Navy to meet
this, a large part of our productive capacity was turned to making
communication and transportation materials.
To appreciate the nature of the transportation accomplishment, we must
briefly retrace our development. As someone has facetiously said,
"We need so much transportation because no one is where he wants
to be and nothing is where you can use it." Since most of the Earth's
surface is covered by water, man began by making various types of small
boats, propelled at first by hand. But it wasn't until sails came
into general use that he could cross the oceans. Columbus made a most
historic trip when he sailed from Palos, Spain to the West Indies in 70
days. The improved sailing vessels shortened the time but they were
still at the mercy of the prevailing winds.
Early in the 19th Century, John Fitch,
John Stevens and later Robert Fulton were trying ways
and means of harnessing steam to boats so as to be independent of the
winds. Fulton was most successful and in 1807 the Clermont
inaugurated a new era in travel. Twelve years later, in 1819, the
steam ship Savannah made the first
trans-Atlantic crossing under power from Savannah, Georgia to
Liverpool in 25 days - about twice the time of the packet boats.
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