Popular Mechanics (PM) in the late 30's reflected the American amazement at the rapidly reshaping world around them. In the brief space of forty years airplanes had flown, radio had been transmitted, horseless carriages had become automobiles, and the atom had become a source of energy.(1) In this quickly spinning world, people either became scared by the new technologies, or embraced them. The latter type of person read PM.(2) Being a subscriber to this publication said more than just that you liked new gadgets- it said that you had hope for the future through technology.
The wide popularity of PM says that a huge portion, if not the majority, of Americans shared this attitude in technology. As America rose to be a word power, technology and science became her support. Her people realized this and took to heart the message that technology would be a great tool to improve their lives.(2) PM differed from more mainstream magazines, but it also shared some traits. Popular Mechanics was new in that it dealt specifically with the rapidly reshaping technological world. But PM shared with magazines such as Saturday Evening Post a desire to,"capture the essence of what America wanted to be," as stated on Todd Rhoads page.Popular Mechanics is a very meaningful object in what it says about the time period it was written in. Throughout the 20th century, PM has shown our changing attitudes towards technology and science. In that time, it has become a piece of our scientific history itself. It is both an archive of scientific data and a mirror of our own views, past and present.(3)
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