DEBATE: Has any technological development in the last 50 years matched the magnitude of the moon landing?

Has any technological development in the last 50 years matched the magnitude of the moon landing?

Ivan Mazour, chief executive and founder of AI-powered customer retention platform Ometria, says YES.

When asked about the greatest innovation of the past century, would many of us point to the moon landing? A feat remarkable, yes, but unrepeated since 1972?

The reality is that, while impressive, it is completely unrivalled by the social change, cultural impact, and technological advances facilitated by the invention of the world wide web in 1989.

Today, thanks to the internet, I can speak to my friends in Russia, the US, and Australia daily and instantly. I can find out how to fix or find things in one quick search. As a customer, retail brands can suggest products to me that they know I’d love, and can also deliver my favourite shirts within a day or two, all while remembering to wish me a happy birthday.

Not only is this possible – I now expect it as the bare minimum.

While the moon landing was an incredible achievement that captured the world’s attention, the invention of the internet has completely transformed how people live their lives.

Jason Kingsley OBE, chief executive and co-founder of Rebellion, says NO.

We are lucky to live in an era of exceptional advancement. Only 53 years separate the Wright brothers successfully recording the first rickety flight of 800 yards with the Apollo 11 crew strapping themselves to a rocketship and blasting 384,400km to the moon.

It’s difficult to comprehend what a remarkable achievement this is: the sheer confidence and daring to escape the only planet we’ve ever lived on, in a spacecraft with around 1,500 times less processing power than an iPhone 5.

There have been significant technological developments since, but remember that many innovations – from camera phones, to laptops and games consoles, to CAT scans – could not have happened without the Apollo mission.

Of course, the internet makes us now more connected than ever, but even that connection pales in comparison with the broader view that the moon landing gave us a species. To see our home from a new perspective, everyone who ever lived on one pale blue dot, floating in infinity.

One man’s small step – but undoubtedly the biggest leap our species has ever taken.

Main image credit: Getty