Figure 25 Advances in Transportation Technology and the Shrinking of "Real" Distance
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Figure 25
Advances in Transportation Technology and the Shrinking of "Real" Distance
Excel | CSV | Table Version
1500-1840 | 1850-1930 | 1950s | 1960s-present | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Best average speed for horse-drawn coaches and sailing ships was 10 mph | Steam locomotives averaged 65 mph and steamships averaged 36 mph | Propeller aircraft able to fly 300-400 mph | Large jet aircraft able to fly 500-700 mph | |
Infrastructure innovation | Trunk canals Turnpike roads | Railroads Ocean shipping | Highways Airports/airlines | Emergence of telecommunications |
Vehicle innovation | Horse-powered coaches | Steam engines Steamships Railroad equipment Steel ships | Aircraft Automobiles Combustion engines Trucks Tractors | Jet engines Containerships Megaships Post-Panamax ships |
SOURCE: Adapted from P. Dicken, Global Shift: Transforming the World Economy (New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 1998).