Big Business & West

By Hollyl

  • First oil well is drilled, Pennsylvania

    First oil well is drilled, Pennsylvania
    First Oil Well is Drilled, Pennsylvania: Near Titusville, Pennsylvania George Bissell and Edwin L. Drake were the first to successfully use a drilling rig on an oil well. This was located at Oil Creek.

  • Transcontinental railroad is completed

    Transcontinental railroad is completed
    The first transcontinental railroad is completed on May 10, 1869. This was long anticipated by people in the West. Signaling the completion, a golden spike was stuck into the ground in Promontory, Utah.

  • Rockefeller founds Standard Oil

    Rockefeller founds Standard Oil
    John D. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870 in Cleveland, Ohio. He built up his company starting in 1868, by buying all other competition and forming it into one company.

  • Carnegie Steel Company is formed

    Carnegie Steel Company is formed
    Carnegie Steel Company is formed- 1892 in downtown, Pittsburg, PA. Carnegie constructed his first steel mill (Edgar Thomson Steel Works) in 1872

  • Bell patents telephone

    Bell patents telephone
    Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone on March 7th,1876. The telephone was a huge advancement for communication and allowed people to communicate with others who were farther away

  • First telephone on White House

    First telephone on White House
    In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes had the white houses’ first telephone installed in the telegraph room. He was very eager to get his hands on the new technology

  • Edison perfects incandescent light bulb

    Edison perfects incandescent light bulb
    Edison worked on perfecting the light bulb for about two years (1878-1880). Finally, in November 1879, Edison filed a patent for his new invention of the light bulb.

  • Railroads set up standard time zones

    Railroads set up standard time zones
    Since the railroads were so big at the time, operators decided that there had to be some form of a time schedule for departures and arrivals. On November 18th, 1883 Four-time zones were made across the united states.

  • First electric trolley line, Richmond, VA

    First electric trolley line, Richmond, VA
    The first electric trolley system was in Richmond, VA. Frank Julian started his trails in 1887 and the electric trolley system was used regularly on February 2nd, 1888.

  • Sherman Antitrust Act is passed

    Sherman Antitrust Act is passed
    On July 2, 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act is passed. This was the first act passed that outlawed monopolistic business practices and was the first plan passed by the US Congress to outlaw trust.

  • J.P. Morgan forms U.S. Steel

    J.P. Morgan forms U.S. Steel
    On March 2, 1901, JP Morgan and Albert H. Gary founded US Steel. They did this by combining three different steel companies: Andre Carnegie's Steel Company, Gary Federal Steel Company, and William Henry Judge Moore’s National Steel Company.