Sfdebris.net

In the Northern Air Temple Fire Nation got their hands on a hot-air balloon and later made not only a full working Zeppelin but a small Fleet of Zeppelins. The first airships, in the real world, were invented in 1852 while Zeppelins weren't really invented until 1910. So, in about 6 to 8 months (or a year and a half if the theory my sister and I came up with about how long a year is on the world of Avatar) the Fire Nation somehow skipped over close to 60 years of technological advances (if not more given how TLA's airships actually seem MORE advanced then their real world counterparts that we have TODAY!!!).

Tying back to my other posts on this subject, The Legend of Korra is often accused of having to great of a technological jump between TLA and where Korra starts even though TLA has an even GREATER jump via skipping 60 years in either half a year or a year and a half. Going by the tech we see at the end of Korra (which the Fire Nation would likely have started sharing with the rest of the world to help recover from the war) it's comparable or more advanced then early 1900s meaning an argument could be made that TLOK tech at the time of the series is believable. Or at least more believable then skipping 60 years in a few months in universe no matter how you slice it.

Overall in a world where magic is real, technological advancement will always feel weird.
How much knowledge and power can be gleaned from the various gods and monsters running around?
Maybe there is some kind of technology monster that helped spur the whole thing?

If they don't want to spend time explaining the tech tree of their universe I am going to accept that, even if I feel a lack of verisimilitude.