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[user_nat]

I think it's pretty much impossible to single out a best/most successful country on Earth. Largely depends on what you view as being important.

Although it is easy to point out ones that are obviously not the best.. which is unfortunately most of the world.

Spoiler

But if there was a best, it would be Australia.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

I just want to throw out a few American inventions/developments from over the years. The thread made me want to do some research on it.

refrigeration
bifocals
jeans
Skyscraper
radio
assembly line production
air conditioning
comic book!
airplane
digital computer
deodorant
corn dog
transistor
VIDEO GAME!!!!
laser
compact disc
personal computer
Internet
GPS
Halo

source

I think Canada can top that.

Canola (or rapeseed) was developed by National Research Council personnel in the (1940s).
The McIntosh Red apple was developed by John McIntosh.
The Walkie-Talkie was invented by Alfred J. Gross (1941).
Standard time was introduced by Sir Sandford Fleming (1878).
The atomic clock was developed by National Research Council personnel in the 1960s.
The Pager was invented by Alfred J. Gross in 1949.
The 56k modem was invented by Dr. Brent Townshend in 1996.
The hydrofoil boat was invented by Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin(1908).
The Electric wheelchair was invented by George Klein during World War II
The foghorn was invented by Robert Foulis (1854).
The gas mask was improved by Cluny MacPherson in 1915.
The G-suit was invented by Wilbur R. Franks in 1941.
The SONAR was invented by Reginald Fessenden .
The ASDIC was invented by Robert William Boyle in 1916.
Basketball was invented by James Naismith (1892).
IMAX was co-invented Roman Kroitor in 1968.
Insulin (as a diabetes treatment) was invented by Frederick Banting, Charles Best and James Collip (1922)
The garbage bag was invented by Harry Wasylyk.
Kerosene was invented by Abraham Gesner.
The Candy Bar was invented by James H. Ganong and Gilbert Ganong in 1910.
Plexiglas was invented by William Chalmers while a graduate student at McGill University.
Peanut butter was invented by Marcellus Gilmore Edson in 1884.
The Paint roller was invented by Norman James Breakey.
The Robertson screwdriver was invented by P.L. Robertson

 

[Megadragon15]

I think it's pretty much impossible to single out a best/most successful country on Earth. Largely depends on what you view as being important.

Although it is easy to point out ones that are obviously not the best.. which is unfortunately most of the world.

Spoiler

But if there was a best, it would be Australia.

You are saying that even knowing that your government wants to actively censor your internet?

 

[xelios]

I just want to throw out a few American inventions/developments from over the years. The thread made me want to do some research on it.

refrigeration
bifocals
jeans
Skyscraper
radio
assembly line production
air conditioning
comic book!
airplane
digital computer
deodorant
corn dog
transistor
VIDEO GAME!!!!
laser
compact disc
personal computer
Internet
GPS
Halo

source

Credit Card :lol

No shit, right?

I think Canada can top that.


The atomic clock was developed by National Research Council personnel in the 1960s.

Hmm weird, wiki link says:

1949 Atomic clock

* An atomic clock uses an atomic resonance frequency standard as its timekeeping element. The first atomic clock was an ammonia maser device built in 1949 at the United States National Bureau of Standards.[357]

 

[Raist]

I just want to throw out a few American inventions/developments from over the years. The thread made me want to do some research on it.

refrigeration
radio
airplane
compact disc

source

German
Italian
French
Dutch/Japanese

Dunno about the others. Some of them are definitely american.

 

[speculawyer]

What does this mean? Please be more specific. What is "our current account" and how did labor "absolute[ly] rape it"?

What is this supposed to mean? It sounds like you are confusing jargon with argument. How did increased labor rights lead to the collateralized debt obligation or the credit default swap?

I'm with you . . . his response is quite obtuse.

I want to hear him explain how labor protection is such a problem when german laborers have better protection and are paid more yet it was GM & Chrysler that went bankrupt, not BMW, Audi, Porsche, and VW.

 

[SuperAngelo64]

A country's success should be measured by the happiness of it's people.

 

[Beardz]

I'm going to leave this right here...

 

[user_nat]

You are saying that even knowing that your government wants to actively censor your internet?

Yeah, but they haven't.. yet.

 

[Epic Tier 3 Engineer]

You're asking this question on GAF?

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

Training in English as part of globalisation is a secondary effect. The key was establishing English as the language of business.

Alll roads to the establishment of English in that respect comeback to the British Empire, it was something like 3/4's of the world at some point. An Empire that was built around one thing: trade. The UK was the first industrialsed nation.

Many countries adopted it as a second language because of that.

You have to remember state education back then was not so expansive even in the developed world, so the visible signs of the use of English as a second language of choice is only recent.

Came in to post this.

Also: Are we really playing the 'which country invented what' game? There have been many inventions over the countless millennia of human existence so it should go without saying that most are the result of discoveries that preceded it.

 

[Raydeen]

Well for a case point. Transport (underground) system in the UK is lambasted every year as being poor, inefficent ect. But it's the first ever built - every country learned from the UK mistakes - the US's most potent weapon is it's youth as country. As much as the arrogance of the US can be sickening....I'm thankful for it's existance - otherwise we'll never have the kickarse TV shows, movies that I love, plus NeoGaf. God bless the US - *ps can't wait for England to kick your scrawny arses out of World Cup 2010 :lol

 

[Natetan]

I'm sure someone posted this already but

1) Large empty-ish land mass with varied geography and mineral resources
2) No history or class system to manage or overcome
3) Depended largely on immigration so has a diverse working and kind of tolerant work force. Outsiders are accepted (in theory at least)
4) To large coasts with two major oceans gives great access to european and asian markets.
5) Huge single consumer market of 300 million people. No other English speaking country has that big of a market. Canada can usually be included into that market in most cases making it even larger.

 

[WinFonda]

Hollywood

 

[TheHeretic]

I'd say a heavy right wing leaning attracts business, which leads to being an economic powerhouse, which the US is. Its also a military-minded country which means it has the most powerful army in the world.

By standards of education and health, the US falls behind european (and Australasian) countries, who have taken Keynesian economics and Socialist ideals more seriously in their political views, and hence product a better quality of life at the expense of higher taxes and less economic freedoms.

It's all subjective, but the US isn't the "Greatest country in the world". France has the world best healthcare, Finland has the best education, and so on. By infant mortality rate the US only rates 33rd, as a result of mediocre healthcare.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

*ps can't wait for England to kick your scrawny arses out of World Cup 2010 :lol

Oh yeah? We're going to beat your ass so bad, they are going to rename Rustenburg to New Yorktown!

 

[SaskBoy]

A country's success should be measured by the happiness of it's people.

Wow the world is really pissed off.

 

[demosthenes]

I think it hit the US harder. And it started there

Long history of banking/regulation rules between America and Europe.

As far as who is getting hit harder....take a stroll to the UAE, ask them how they're doing.

 

[goomba]

Why is the US so much more "successful" than other countries?

Because they are a world bully with lots of nukes, isolated geography and a shallow materialistic culture who don't even look after their own peoples welfare.

 

[racerx]

America is successful for a combination of many reasons: Christianity, geography, resources, timing, luck, general moral fiber, etc...

 

[empty vessel]

I don't have to make a boat out of a 59 pickup to flee my country. That counts for something, just sayin.

You do if you want to travel to Cuba. Just sayin.

 

[Xeke]

Yeah, but what value does GDP per square capita have?

I mean you do understand that larger populations don't make GDP lower since more people are producing stuff right?

I mean is your argument really that increasing population lower GDP per capita? More population means more people producing stuff. There's a ratio of how much the average person produces. That's what GDP per capita tries to measure.

What's even worse is you condescendingly imply that people who think there exists some sort of value in data like these are stupid because they don't account for the effect of population as you see fit. The whole purpose of GDP per capita is to eliminate population oriented effects.

You can make logical arguments excluding luxembourg from the list. A lot of their wealth is simply inherited from former nobility and consequently their median GDP is not representative of general members of that nation's populace due to statistical skewing. This is hardly the case in Sweden, switzerland and the netherlands.

I mean look at the number you choose. "Let's only look at countries with a population greater than 17 million?" Why that number, why something completely arbitrary?

You undermine your own argument by looking at the united states. If your refutation of the above data were to hold, it would imply that the smallest US states would have the highest GDP per capita because they have the lowest population.

Seriously, I don't see how you could seriously post what you just did.

The problem is simply comparing incomparable countries, it's not hard to fathom. There are so many factors you reject straight up.

 

[Jay Sosa]

Coming from Austria all I can contribute to this thread is: :lol :lol

 

[Maximus.]

Mass immigration from all over Europe (and later the world) into a vast, nearly empty land (sorry Indians) with masses of amazing resources (corn is DENSE with energy) led to AMAZING economics.

That's it.

You mean natives. Also, the World Wars was a major factor into why the USA became a superpower. If they didnt do what they did, probably would be a different situation now.

edit: while we are at it, The British Empire was amazing before the World Wars. It is a shame that they were basically torn from power due to the costs of the World Wars. What everyone has to kind of realize is that the USA did wait a while before helping out Britain. This is how they made money...staying out of the war as long as possible and selling goods to their allies.

 

[BowieZ]

America is successful for a combination of many reasons: Christianity, geography, resources, timing, luck, general moral fiber, etc...

I think America's so-called "moral fiber" is actually holding it back.

 

[Xeke]

You mean natives. Also, the World Wars was a major factor into why the USA became a superpower. If they didnt do what they did, probably would be a different situation now.

Well the whole world would be behind without the World Wars, but the US was always going to be somewhat successful because of the sheer size of it.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Resources and a more laissez faire model for most things in daily life, along with some clutch checks when things started to spiral into anarchy or despotism (from either governmental or economic forces).

I think America's so-called "moral fiber" is actually holding it back.

New president for 2012/16: Freddy Nichki.

 

[teh_pwn]

Abundant resources, isolation from military conflicts, and an economy that at least for the first 150 years of our country strongly encouraged innovation as a basis to increase profits.

The rest of the world is catching up, and we have a federal government that is bought out by corporations, causing votes in the senate to work in the interest of corporations. Why innovate to increase productivity to increase profit margins when you can just buy votes?

What do health insurance companies do to innovate? They buy votes so you pay them their own special taxes.

 

[Maximus.]

Well the whole world would be behind without the World Wars, but the US was always going to be somewhat successful because of the sheer size of it.

Oh no doubt, but what I meant was that instead of coming out as the largest superpower, potentially it could have been multiple superpowers, which would have been a totally different situation...

 

[teh_pwn]

America is successful for a combination of many reasons: Christianity, geography, resources, timing, luck, general moral fiber, etc...

Europe had all of these in the dark ages when the Catholic church ruled.

America's productivity grew faster from 1776-1970 because we were open minded to new ideas, tolerant. We were both religious and non-religious.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Oh no doubt, but what I meant was that instead of coming out as the largest superpower, potentially it could have been multiple superpowers, which would have been a totally different situation...

Yeah, most of the superpowers KOed each other or exhausted themselves KOing others during those or got wrecked and defeated completely, even twice in some cases.

 

[TheHeretic]

Yeah, most of the superpowers KOed each other or exhausted themselves KOing others during those or got wrecked and defeated completely, even twice in some cases.

China is on its way to becoming the Worlds superpower. India and the EU treated as one entity is powerful as well. In terms of military might the US remains untouchable though, but of course the word "Superpower" isn't just about firepower.

 

[Xeke]

Yeah, most of the superpowers KOed each other or exhausted themselves KOing others during those or got wrecked and defeated completely, even twice in some cases.

They weren't really superpowers at that point compared to the US. Yes the US navy sucked and the army was small but the US always had potential because of its size, its agriculture and its manufacturing base in the early century,

China is on its way to becoming the Worlds superpower. India and the EU treated as one entity is powerful as well. In terms of military might the US remains untouchable though, but of course the word "Superpower" isn't just about firepower.

The difference is that US culture and companies have spread to the rest of the world. English is the lingua franca of the world, business and the internet. If you want to learn to code you need english and the chinese characters are a pain in the ass for computers. Hell people in china can't even understand people in china.

 

[Maximus.]

China is on its way to becoming the Worlds superpower. India and the EU treated as one entity is powerful as well. In terms of military might the US remains untouchable though, but of course the word "Superpower" isn't just about firepower.

There wont be just one superpower...i believe it will be more like China, India, EU, USA all working together from now on instead of just one head figure. Of course this will probably be years or decades away.

 

[Parts]

As someone doing a degree in American Studies in an English uni, I've put some thought into this. Just a little. Here's the incredible discovery I have unraveled from the passages of time:

Slavery helped. A lot. A lot. So did World War 2. Oh, and hamburgers.

This degree is definitely a thousand pounds well spent.

Spoiler

OH, AND BY THE WAY, TERRORISTS AREN'T FUCKING "JEALOUS OF YOUR FREEDOMS", I MEAN JESUS CHRIST PEOPLE. That was just something I always wanted to scream about and now seems like a good time. And who the fuck decided you were the most successful country!? You? Yeah, that's a TOTALLY trustworthy source. Arrogance to the max, yo!

 

[rezuth]

I just want to throw out a few American inventions/developments from over the years. The thread made me want to do some research on it.

refrigeration
bifocals
jeans
Skyscraper
radio
assembly line production
air conditioning
comic book!
airplane
digital computer
deodorant
corn dog
transistor
VIDEO GAME!!!!
laser
compact disc
personal computer
Internet
GPS
Halo

source

That is nothing, check this out

Sweden:

Dynamite
Styrofoam
Modern pacemaker
Plumber wrench
Matches
Tetra Pak
Computer mouse
Losec
Gamma knife
Absorption refrigerator
Three point safetybelt
Paper bleaching
Dialysis machine
Blowtorch
Cream separator
Adjustable spanner
Skype
Spherical bearing
Ball Bearing
etc

 

[TheHeretic]

The difference is that US culture and companies have spread to the rest of the world. English is the lingua franca of the world, business and the internet. If you want to learn to code you need english and the chinese characters are a pain in the ass for computers. Hell people in china can't even understand people in china.

And chinese manufactured products aren't absolutely everywhere? The USA barely makes anything, its all outsourced to the true manufacting juggernaut, which is a very powerful position for China.

 

[GillianSeed79]

We pretty much became a superpower post WW2 right? I mean it wasn't that hard considering most of the world was reduced to rubble and the military industrial complex proved mighty profitable.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

They weren't really superpowers at that point compared to the US. Yes the US navy sucked and the army was small but the US always had potential because of its size, its agriculture and its manufacturing base in the early century,

Pre-1914, France, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, USA, Germany, and possibly Russia were at what were more or less superpower levels. France and GB left WWI weakened and exhausted, AH ceased to exist, Germany was defeated and weakened, and Russia imploded.

WWII left GB and France even more exhausted, Germany defeated once more and divided, Japan tried but also got defeated, and the USSR reemergent under Stalin's iron fist, with the US again emerging even stronger again.

Keep in mind, the European countries (and Japan) were small, but their colonies and empires were often HUGE.

 

[Xeke]

Pre-1914, France, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, USA, Germany, and possibly Russia were at what were more or less superpower levels. France and GB left WWI weakened and exhausted, AH ceased to exist, Germany was defeated and weakened, and Russia imploded.

WWII left GB and France even more exhausted, Germany defeated once more and divided, Japan tried but also got defeated, and the USSR reemergent under Stalin's iron fist, with the US again emerging even stronger again.

Keep in mind, the European countries (and Japan) were small, but their colonies and empires were often HUGE.

They were very powerful, that is certain, but the US had more potential after industrializing because of its amazing amount of resources.

 

[Drek]

The Pacific Ocean is pretty much the main reason the USSR didn't invade the US. Think about it for a second.

No, the reason the USSR never invaded the U.S. is that its very hard for your corpse to rule a post-nuclear chunk of fried rock hurtling through space.

The things I bolded literally made me say "WTF" out loud.

I don't see why. A very large population with a disproportionately large share of the greatest minds in the world, a health care system that actually stands within striking distance of the top despite a populace that almost seems to be TRYING to kill themselves, etc..

Discussing the U.S. on a per capita basis if missing the entire point of what America represents. It is a social and economic system designed to allow unhindered ladder climbing and conversely unhindered free fall. It fails when it attempts to keep people from falling through the cracks, and excels when it aids its greatest talents in reaching new heights.

Post all the per capita numbers you want, the reality is that the U.S. has more in raw quantity than anyone else and that is the ultimate goal of its design.

Is that right? I'd personally say no. But that is the measure of the U.S.'s success or failure. The strength of its best people, irregardless of its weakest.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

And chinese manufactured products aren't absolutely everywhere? The USA barely makes anything, its all outsourced to the true manufacting juggernaut, which is a very powerful position for China.

Again, a powerful testament to China's rising star. They have high marks in all fields of geopolitics.

I recall from about a decade ago, a news report that most of the socks worn in NA were from one small city in Guangdong or Fujian (can't remember which), and there are many cities with a near-monopoly on certain areas of manufacturing like this. That's a powerful position.

 

[Maximus.]

They were very powerful, that is certain, but the US had more potential after industrializing because of its amazing amount of resources.

Umm..the USA compared to the European nations before the World Wars was not a force to be reckoned with. If it wasnt for the World Wars the USA wouldnt have had the financial grounds to overcome all of the great European nations that were around for centuries before the USA. Dont know what they taught you in school, but the USA wasnt always the strongest nation in the world...

edit: The USA and USSR didnt end up fighting because as previously said, the threat of nuclear arms was enough to keep everyone from starting another war.

 

[Red Blaster]

Simple. We invented rock and roll.

 

[arstal]

Umm..the USA compared to the European nations before the World Wars was not a force to be reckoned with. If it wasnt for the World Wars the USA wouldnt have had the financial grounds to overcome all of the great European nations that were around for centuries before the USA. Dont know what they taught you in school, but the USA wasnt always the strongest nation in the world...

edit: The USA and USSR didnt end up fighting because as previously said, the threat of nuclear arms was enough to keep everyone from starting another war.

As Early as 1895 the US had war plans to defeat the British Empire (a war almost happened over venezuela, was solved by arbitration by I believe Germany)

I'd say the US was a Great Power since 1865. They just didn't spend as much on military due to not needing it. Compare that to today, when we're turning into the Austria-Hungary of the 21st century.

 

[Xeke]

Umm..the USA compared to the European nations before the World Wars was not a force to be reckoned with. If it wasnt for the World Wars the USA wouldnt have had the financial grounds to overcome all of the great European nations that were around for centuries before the USA. Dont know what they taught you in school, but the USA wasnt always the strongest nation in the world...

edit: The USA and USSR didnt end up fighting because as previously said, the threat of nuclear arms was enough to keep everyone from starting another war.

I'm 2 months from my bachelors in history. I know that the US wasn't always the strongest, but what I'm saying is that because of its size and amount of resources it was always going to become very powerful. The World Wars accelerated that power but it would have happened regardless.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

They were very powerful, that is certain, but the US had more potential after industrializing because of its amazing amount of resources.

Potential yes, we were damn close, but those wars catalized it, while weakening others around our strength.

 

[Lion Heart]

I think Canada can top that.

You forgot the telephone
ketchup chips
and James Cameron!

 

[Y2Kev]

Labor-Augmenting Technical Progress

 

[LogicStep]

I'm going to leave this right here...

Awesome, thanks for my new iphone wallpaper