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Bessemer Process is Developed
Henry Bessemer develops a new, inexpensive way to create large amounts of steel by injecting crude metal with air. Steel was then used to build trains, tracks, and bridges among other things. -
First Oil Well Drilled
Edwin L. Drake, having created a new type of iron pipe to drill with, drilled the first oil well. This proved that oil could be extracted from the ground in large quantities. Since then, petroleum has been the leading source of cheap energy. -
Purchase of Pennsylvania Fiscal Agency
Thomas C. Durant, an administrator of the Union Pacific Railroad, bought the Pennsylvania Fiscal Agency in 1864. It was renamed Crédit Mobilier of America. Under this name, they posed as a company constructing railroads and were granted large sums of money by the government for this purpose. However, the money went straight into the pockets of those in power at the company. -
Typewriter Patented
In the year of 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes, Samuel W. Soulé, and Carlos Glidden patented the second model of their typing machine on which one could type faster than one could write. The typewrtiter made it much easier to keep records amongst other uses. -
Transcontinental Railroad is Completed
On this day, the Transcontinental Railroad, a railway spanning all of North America, was finished. This increased the abililty tp trade and ship out products by quite a lot. -
Organization of Standard Oil Company
John D. Rockefeller, Samueal Andrews,and several other partners created the Standard Oil Company, then proceeded to buy up many of the other oil companes in the area, until it was all merged into the Standard Oil Trust. Within it, huge amounts of crude oil were being refined per day. -
First Telephone Call
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. On this date, he made the first official phone call for an audience. The invention of the telephone opened so many doors. Communication became so much simpler. As far as the Industrial Revolution is concerned, the telephone allowed for decisions to be made in an instant and for companies to communicate much more easily. -
Incandescent Lightbulb Demonstration
On this date, Thomas Edison demonstrated for a public audience the lightbulb he had created with a small filament in the center. The invention of a lightbulb changed everything. From that point on, businesses could stay open longer, because the sun wasn't necessary for light. -
Haymarket Riot
People were striking for the eight hour workday when police shot four workers. As a result, over a thousand people gathered at the Haymarket Square in protest. When police forces showed up, someone threw a bomb, killing seven and injuring many. This incident shows the strained relationship between the police force and the factory workers. -
Interstate Commerce Act is passed
Because railroads had become such an essential part of the economy and railroad companies were well aware of how dependent Americans were on them, they were taking advantage of them and charging unreasonable prices. Eventually Congress put its foot down and passed this law, causing the ICC(Interstate Commerce Commission) to be founded. The ICC made certain that all railroad coasts were reasonable and fair. -
Congress Passes Sherman Antitrust Act
Trusts (groups of companies joined together as one large company that is so big it has no comptetition) were making it very difficult for small businesses to survive, and so the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed, illegalizing the formations of trusts. -
Break Up of Standard Oil Trust
Because it clearly violated the Sherman Anti-trust Act, the Standard Oil Trust was broken up. -
Homestead Strike
A strike at the Carnegie Steel Company Against lower wages for employees led to a gunfight between the strikers and about three hundred detecttives. When three detectives and seven strikers had been killed, the strikers gave in.This battle was between a very respected company and a very respected worker's union, and displayed a case of civilians taking the law upon themselves. -
Founding of American Railway Union
Eugene Debs helped to create the American Railway Union, a union for workers of all skill levels. Before this, only skilled artisans were protected by any workers unions. This made the workforce more fair. -
Pullman Strike Begins
In the town of Pullman, Illinois where everybody worked at the Pullman Palace Car Company, George Pullman began witholding checks, firing workers, and cutting pay without reason. Eugene Debs led a strike against Pullman. It got violent, train cars were burned down, and troops had to be called in. -
United States Steel
J.P. Morgan, a powerful figure in American finance at the time, had been merging more and more steel companies together until Carnegie Steel Company was threatened. Then, he created United States Steel, the first billion-dollar manufacturing company in the entire world. -
Ford Motor Company Founded
Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company, where 100 cars were made a day. Automobiles made faster trasportation more common and not only for long distances like railroads. -
Wright Brothers' Plane Flies
Orville and Wilbur Wright made history when their plane stayed in the air for 852 feet. Up until then, water and the ground were the only modes of transportation. Now, the sky has been introduced. The Wright Brothers introduced the would-be fastest way to get from one place to another. -
Founding of IWW (Wobblies)
This union "Industrial Workers of the World" was formed partly by Mary Harris Jones. She organized labor strikes, particularly for miners, who were working in the poorest of conditions, -
Lochner v. New York Decision
Joseph Lochner, a storeowner, was fined for breaking a law stating the number of hours employees could be kept working. He sued on the grounds that the labor laws violated his right to due process. He won the case. This shows how difficult it was for the government to control wroking conditions during the Industrial Revolution; -
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First Oil Well Drilled
Edwin L. Drake, having created a new type of iron pipe to drill with, drilled the first oil well. Since then, petroleum has been the leading source of cheap energy.
