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Bessemer Process Discovered
It was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel. -
Oil in PA
Titusville and other towns on the shores of Oil Creek expanded rapidly as oil wells and refineries shot up across the region. Oil quickly became one of the most valuable commodities in the United States and railroads expanded into Western Pennsylvania to ship petroleum to the rest of the country. -
Typewriter Invented
Typewriters quickly became indispensable tools for practically all writing other than personal correspondence. -
Homestead Act
It encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land. -
First Transcontinental Railroad Built
This form of transportation revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West by making goods and transportation much quicker and easier from coast to coast. -
National Labor Union Started
It was the first national labor federation in the United States. Also, it paved the way for other organizations, such as the Knights of Labor and the AFL (American Federation of Labor). -
Airbrake Invented
They are first used in trains, and then later the use of these air brakes spread to automobiles, heavy vehicles etc. -
Telephone Invented
Bell's invented made communication easier. -
B. & O. Railroad Strike
In response to the cutting of wages for the third time in a year by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), striking workers would not allow any of the trains, mainly freight trains, to roll until this third wage cut was revoked. -
Phonograph Invented
Edison created a way to record sound on tinfoil-coated cylinders. The machine has two needles: one for recording and one for playback. -
Lightbulb Invented
Enabled factory work to continue after dark. -
Standard Oil Company Started
It was the largest oil refiner in the world during its time. 90% of oil refineries were part of this company. -
Haymarket Square Riot
Workers were protesting, and 8 people ended up dead; and the deaths of these people had all been blamed on labor leaders. -
Statue of Liberty
It had been given to the United States from France to celebrate the friendship the two endured during the American Revolution. Over the years, it has symbolized the freedom and the democracy of the U.S. -
Forest Reserve Act
A law that allowed the President of the United States to set aside forest reserves from the land in the public domain. -
Homestead Strike
It was a total defeat for the workers and unionism as a whole. A huge setback for the American Labor Movement. -
Pullman Strike
It pitted the American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman Company. -
Carnegie Sells to J.P. Morgan
He got $480 million by selling his Carnegie Steel Company; which then became the U.S. Steel Corporation. After selling his company, he devoted the remainder of his life to large-scale philanthropy, with special emphasis on local libraries, world peace, education and scientific research. -
Standard Oil Dissolved By Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company, ruling that it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. -
Gospel of Wealth Published
It was an article written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889, that describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich.
