Big Business and the West

By 20205066

  • First Oil Well is Drilled

    First Oil Well is Drilled
    The First oil well was drilled by George Bissell and Edwin L. Drake near Titusville Pennsylvania. This was a big thing for the Americans at the time because instead of having the kill whales to get oil all they had to do was drill for oil underneath them. The oil was used as grease for machines and wagons, light, and medicine.

  • Transcontinental Railroad is Completed

    Transcontinental Railroad is Completed
    The transcontinental railroad was a series of tracks that were all the same gauges so the trains can travel from the north into the south or from the south into the north. The transcontinental Railroad was used for traveling all around America.

  • Rockefeller founds Standard Oil

    Rockefeller founds Standard Oil
    Rockefeller was one of the first people to find oil and make an industry from it. By 1882 Rockefeller had a near monopoly in the oil business because his was the biggest oil industry in the United States.

  • Bell Patents Telephone

    Bell Patents Telephone
    The Telephone was invented in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. This was a big deal because people were able to finally talk to each other at their own homes without seeing face to face or sending letters to each other.

  • Edison perfects Incandescent Light Bulb

    Edison perfects Incandescent Light Bulb
    It took Thomas Edison 1,000 attempts to perfect the light bulb. These attempts were not fails but steps because Thomas Edison stated that those 1,000 fails were not fails they were steps to getting closer to perfecting the light bulb. The light bulb was made in our state New Jersey.

  • Railroads Set Up Standard Time Zones

    Railroads Set Up Standard Time Zones
    The train stations needed a schedule that would work for all over the US. This type of time was the 24 hour time split into two halves where after 12 hours the time would restart for the second half of 12 hours.

  • First Electric Trolley Line

    First Electric Trolley Line
    The first electric trolley line was built in Richmond Virginia. The trolly was used to get a person from place to place in a city. it mostly was used to get people from their houses to their jobs.

  • Sherman Antitrust Act is Passed

    Sherman Antitrust Act is Passed
    The Sherman antitrust act was the first act to outlaw any monopolistic activities.

  • Carnegie Steel Company is Formed

    Carnegie Steel Company is Formed
    Andrew Carnegie built a steel company in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This steel company was one of the biggest steel companies ever made in the US. Carnegie was really the first person to actually produce a lot of steel and grow to become one of the biggest steel industries in America.

  • J.P. Morgan Forms U.S. Steel

    J.P. Morgan Forms U.S. Steel
    U.S. Steel was made to combine Carnegie steel and all other steel companies together.

  • First Telephone on White House

    First Telephone on White House
    Rutherford B. Hayes was the first President to have a telephone installed in the White House. This helped the president a lot with communicating to other people.