Research, development, and entrepreneurship

The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. Thomas Edison's laboratory developed the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb лампочка, and the first viable жизнеспособный movie camera кинокамера. Nikola Tesla pioneered the AC induction motor and high frequency power transmission used in radio. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford popularized the assembly line. The Wright brothers, in 1903, made the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.

The late Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were two of the best-known American entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes браться за innovations, finance and business acumen деловая хватка in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods".

Venture capital, as an industry, originated in the United States and it is still dominated by the U.S. Americans are “venturesome рискованный consumers” who are unusually willing to try new products of all sorts, and to pester manufacturers to improve their products.

Although most of the U.S. economy is composed of services, the United States is the world's largest manufacturer, with a 2009 industrial output of US$2.33 trillion. Its manufacturing output is greater than of Germany, France, India, and Brazil combined. Main industries include petroleum, steel, automobiles, construction machinery, aerospace, agricultural machinery, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, and mining. The US leads the world in airplane manufacturing, which represents a large portion of US industrial output. American companies such as Boeing, Cessna, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics produce a vast majority of the world's civilian and military aircraft авиация in factories stretching across the United States.

The U.S. produces approximately 18% of the world's manufacturing output, a number that has declined as other nations developed competitive manufacturing industries. The job loss during this continual volume growth is the result of multiple factors including increased productivity, trade, and secular economic trends. In addition, growth in telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, aircraft, heavy machinery and other industries along with declines in low end, low skill industries such as clothing, toys, and other simple manufacturing have resulted in U.S. jobs being more highly skilled and better paying. There has been much debate within the United States on the decline in manufacturing jobs are related to American Unions and lower foreign wages.

Although agriculture comprises less than two percent of the economy, the United States is a net exporter of food. With vast tracts участки of temperate arable культивированный land, technologically advanced agribusiness, and agricultural subsidies, the United States controls almost half of world grain exports. Products include wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry домашняя птица, dairy products; forest products; fish.