-
Electricity was discovered
Ben Franklin discovered electricity with a kite and a key -
James Watt improved the Steam engine
-
New York Stock Exchange was founded
-
Cotton gin was patented
Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin in 1793. From 1793 until the Civil War the slave population increased to about 4,000,000. -
First commercial telegraphy system was patented
In 1837, British inventors William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial telegraphy system, even as Samuel Morse and other inventors worked on their own versions in the United States. -
Transcontinental railroad opened for traffic
North America's first transcontinental railroad was a 1,911-mile continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected -
First car was invented
Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine.”