If one looks at GDP per capita or life expectancy, progress did not stop or slow in the 50&#x27;s.<p>I think the main difference is that progress is now made in much smaller increments.  E.g. smartphones have transformed our lives, and yet the smartphone era really begin with the iPhone, which was itself not revolutionary from a purely technological viewpoint.  It was however, sufficiently better in its hardware and software to appeal to a much larger market.