Technology, gadgets, and automobiles

Please expand this Need to address technological inventions. Some suggested sources are given hereafter. More information might be found in a section of the talk page. (April 2012)

Further information: United States technological and industrial history and Passenger vehicles in the United States

Americans, by and large, are often fascinated by new technology and new gadgets.^{[citation needed]} Many of the new technological innovations in the modern world were either first invented in the United States and/or first widely adopted by Americans. Examples include: the lightbulb, the airplane, the transistor, nuclear power, the personal computer, the iPod, video games and online shopping, as well as the development of the Internet.
The rise of suburbs and the need for workers to commute to cities brought about the popularization of automobiles. In 2001, 90% of Americans drove to work in cars.^[52] Lower energy and land costs favor the production of relatively large, powerful cars. The culture in the 1950s and 1960s often catered to the automobile with motels and drive-in restaurants. Americans tend to view obtaining a driver's license as a rite of passage.^{[citation needed]} Outside of relatively few urban areas, it is considered a necessity for most Americans to own and drive cars. New York City is the only locality in the United States where more than half of all households do not own a car.^[52]