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中國人 There was still little concern about the opposition between irredentism and nationalism, between peoples who did not want to depend on foreigners and those who were driven by the greatness of their own state.
The Earth was becoming increasingly populated: in 1800 there were 978 million humans, and in 1900 there were 1.65 billion. States and large companies understood the importance of funding scientific research, allowing it to make giant leaps forward. In a frantic race for discovery, hospitals began using electrocardiographs and X-rays; aspirin and pasteurization were invented. In more developed countries, attention to water supply and sewage systems increased, as well as controls on slaughterhouses and food processing. Mortality decreased, especially infant mortality, and life expectancy increased. Schooling expanded, and in democracies voting rights were extended, although usually only to men and often based on income.
Reinforced concrete, the motorcycle, and the modern bicycle were developed. The invention of the internal combustion engine (the "explosion engine"), perfected by German engineer Gottlieb Daimler, led to the automobile in 1886. Between 1896 and 1913, railways exceeded one million kilometers, while world trade and industrial production doubled. In 1897, Guglielmo Marconi patented wireless telegraphy, which later led to radio. Electric lighting spread: humanity had previously experienced nights—in caves, huts, houses, palaces, and royal residences—always under the dim light of fires, torches, candles, and gas lamps; having all the light one wanted with a simple gesture changed the perception of life and time.
The 19th century ended with the invention of cinema and the birth of football, both of which would become central to modern life. In just a few years, urban centers underwent radical transformation. Transport and public lighting replaced carriages and dark streets; trams and cars passed in front of stock exchanges, banks, and post offices equipped with telephone and telegraph. Newspapers, political and union headquarters were bustling, factories were forming a new working class, and advertising posters filled the streets. In these construction-filled cities, men and women crowded cinemas, feeding daily life with dreams.
In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games made sport an important organized human activity. Nations seemed willing to cooperate for the common good: the International Telegraph Union, the Universal Postal Union, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Bureau International Permanent de la Paix, major world exhibitions, and an international patent and trademark office were established.
