Most of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century were all about building things bigger — bigger buildings, bigger ships and bigger planes. These big things required big power sources, from engines to electrical power plants. In just about everything, from the launch of a new transoceanic steam-powered cruiser to a skyscraper towering over a city, bigger technology was better.
However, from about the beginning of the second half of the 20th century until now, smallness became more important. Most of the greatest engineering advances since that time appear to be happening in realm of the very small.
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