-
1869 Transcontinental Railroad completed
When the Union Pacific railroad and the Central Pacific railway meet at the promontory point in Utah. This was known as the Transcontinental railroad. This ultimately prompted other tracks to connect to or be created from this line, which eventually connected all corners of the nation. The Union Pacific railroad laid tracks West from Omaha, Nebraska and Central Pacific laid tracks east from Sacramento, California. -
1873 Invention of barbed wire
Initially called devils rope by the Indians. Joseph Glidden was not the first to come up with this idea but was the first to claim the winning design and he patented it in 1873. In Oklahoma where it was a standard to raise long horns by free range grazing, cowboys wanted a way to fence off their lands and claim cattle and ultimately fence off land they wanted whether or not it was legally theirs to claim. This invention ended free range grazing and kept more land away from Indian tribes. -
Patent of Telephone 1876
Alexander Graham Bell was not the first to invent the telephone, but he was the first to patent the idea and capitalize on it. The telephone was first patented in 1876. It was one of the greatest advancements in technology in the united states.Bell worked with financiers and business men to create the National Bell Telephone company. -
1885 First skyscraper built in Chicago
In 1885 the first ten story skyscraper was built in Chicago. It was a home insurance building. In 1889 the Otis elevator company installed the first electric elevator. This began a skyscraper craze and allowed eastern city developers to build and showcase and market prestigious real estate in the center of crowded eastern metropoles. -
1887 Invention of electric trolley
Frank Sprague invented the electric trolley which had the same concept of the omnibus with a large wagon on tracks, but instead it ran on electricity than by horses. The advantage of this trolley was that it could run all day and night. It also modernized less important industrial centers such as Richmond, Virginia. The electric trolley helped pave the way for other advances in transportation such as the subway system which began operating in Boston in 1897. -
1895 Coney Island One of the first amusement parks
The opening of Coney Island, on the Brooklyn shoreline in 1895 was a great addition to one of the many forms of entertainment. This was the first amusement park of this time. It consisted of several different amusement parks that had wild rides, animal attractions,large stage productions, & freak side shows. For 10 cents people were able to be amused & forget the struggles of everyday working lives. This park opened the doors for other city's to follow & open up smaller versions of this park. -
1904 Child labor committee arises
This committee came together with the hopes of banning child labor in the industrial industries throughout the country. The census in the 1900 revealed that 1 in every 6 between the ages of 5 &10 were working, which was a 50% increase over the previous decade & they were being paid less for their labor & worked 10-12hr shifts. Although faced with opposition the NCLC did succeed in 1912, that spread awareness to the issue of child labor. -
1924 Henry Ford sells Model T's for $300
Henry Ford was able to revolutionize industrial work in Detroit by perfecting the assembly line, which made it possible to mass produce at lower cost. Which helped reduce the price of a Model T ford from $850 to $300, making it possible for everyone to own a vehicle. Students and families with lower incomes were able to purchase used vehicles for as low as $5. Workers who worked on the assembly line were paid $5 and only worked 8 hr days when the normal work day was at least 10 hours.
