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Scientific Advance and Cultural Changes

SPACE RACE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

AGITATION AND PROTEST

RELIGIOUS RENEWAL

THE STUDENT REVIVAL

In the 1950s, the space race began. In 1957, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite around the Earth: Sputnik. Then they put the dog Laika into orbit, and finally, in 1961, the first human to orbit the Earth in a spaceship: Yuri Gagarin. The United States also launched its first satellite in 1958. During these years, the two countries conducted space exploration programs with remarkable progress. In 1969, the American Apollo spacecraft orbiting the moon, and astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon.

The second half of the 20th century was characterized by the accelerated advancement of science and technology. The discovery of penicillin, organ transplants and studies of the human genome. The achievements in the field of transport have been remarkable. With jets, it was possible to fly longer distances in less time and the number of travelers increased. The development of information technology has focused on radio and television transmitters and their global connection possibilities, the use of faxes and mobile phones have changed the lives of individuals and societies.

From the 1950s, new forms of popular music rocked societies, especially among young people. In several industrialized countries, the hippie movement has developed, advocating peace and non-violence and rejecting the values of the consumer society. Drug use, especially marijuana, became a mechanism of escape and protest, college students in many first-world cities also carried out violent actions that demanded educational reforms.

1968 was a particularly tough year. In California, Paris and elsewhere, young people have filled city walls with slogans like “down with common sense”. The movements had neither organization nor continuity, but they left a big imprint in the history of the 20th century.

The Catholic Church has undergone an important transformation. Pope John XXII I convened the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and made statements on freedom of conscience and the role of the Church, and authorized the holding of ceremonies in their own language, rather than Latin, to adapt the Catholicism in the modern world.