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Transcontinental Railroad - Joining of Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads
On May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads were joined together at a point in Promontory, Utah. This linked the east and west coast together, making it easier to transport goods and people. It brought setters west, attracted hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants, and displaced thousands of Native Americans. 35,000 miles of railroad in 1865 ballooned to 200,000 by 1900. Pictured is the last rail placed.
Picture from www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rail.html -
Coney Island, New York
Improvements in transportation also allowed people to escape city life on the weekends and enjoy amusement parks and other forms of recreation in ways they could not before. Coney Island, which was near New York City, built the first roller coaster, the Great Switchback Railway, in 1884. It reached speeds of up to 6 miles per hour.
https://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/coasterlist.htm -
Electric trolley invented by Frank Sprague
This is the first electric trolley, which ran in Richmond, Va in 1877. Unlike it predecessor, the omnibus, the electric trolley did not rely on horses, who needed frequent rests and left manure on the streets. Like the omnibus, however, it was an important mode of transportation for factory workers.
Corbett, Chapter 19, Section 1.
http://www.richmond.com/opinion/their-opinion/guest-columnists/moeser-how-we-got-here-and-why-it-matters/article_498a5859-37aa-5457-8e50-8469a5afb5f8.html -
Federal troops at the Pullman Strike in Illinois
An example of how important the railroads were to US commerce is illustrated by the Pullman Strike in 1894, which started in Pullman, IL to protest pay cuts. The strikers refused to handle Pullman cars, which were on so many trains that it stopped most of the trains in the entire US. Ultimately, the federal government broke the strike and the workers gained nothing.
Corbett, Chapter 18, Section 3.
http://www.pullman-museum.org/cgi-bin/pvm/newMainRecordDisplayXML.pl?recordid=10771 -
First flight
Pictured is the first powered done by the Wright Brothers in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The flight was only 20 seconds long, and covered a distance of 120 ft. The brothers invited several journalists to cover the event, but only one thought it interesting enough to show up. Powered flight, however, would improve significantly over the next few decades, and ultimately be a major mode of transportation.
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/wright.htm -
Model T introduced by Henry Ford
Although it was not the first automobile, the Model T introduced by Henry Ford and produced in Detroit, Michigan was revolutionary; mass production lowered costs and allowed more people to be able to afford an automobile. While the price of an auto in 1908 was $850, in 1924 it had dropped to $300, and used models could be purchased for even less.
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2011/10/01/archives/advertisements-archives/ad-announced-revolution.html/attachment/1908_10_03-029large -
First commercial flight
Only eleven years after the first powered flight came the first commercial flight. This 23 minute flight between Tampa and St. Petersburg was 18.6 miles and cost $400. By 1929 there would be 173,000 commercial passengers in the U.S. Pictured is the first passenger and pilot.
Picture Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida
http://www.businessinsider.com/1914-first-commercial-flight-price-anniversary-2013-12
http://www.century-of-flight.net/new%20site/commercial/Commercial%20Aviation.htm -
First solo Transatlantic flight
Charles Lindbergh flew the first solo transatlantic flight, between New York and Paris, in 33 hours in 1927. Many people had been trying to make this achievement to win the $25,000 Ortieg prize. Lindbergh was first, and in addition to the money it made him the mode famous American on earth, and stimulated the commercial aviation industry.
Corbett, Chapter 24, Section 1.
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/ryan-nyp-spirit-st-louis-charles-lindbergh
