-
The Air Brake
The first air brake was invented by George Westinghouse in 1869. It was called the Westinghouse Air Brake. This allowed trains to travel faster and safer. It used to be that for a train to stop, there would be one man in each cart holding a brake. They all had to pull the brakes at the same time, which was very dangerous. The air brake made it so one man could stop all of the carts at once, safely and quickly. -
The Cable Car
In 1871, a citizen of San Francisco, named Andrew Smith Hallidie, invented the cable car. This machine spared many horses the excruciating work of people traveling over that city's steep roadways. Using metal ropes he had patented, Hallidie devised a mechanism in which cars were pulled by a cable running in a slot between the rails which passed over a steam-driven shaft in the powerhouse. After gathering financial backing, Hallidie and his associates built the first cable railway. -
The Telephone
The telephone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. This device allowed users to communicate from long distances by voice, unlike the telegraph. The telegraph was the main source of long distance comunication for a long period of time, operating by clicks. When the telephone was invented, it aroused little interest for a short period of time, but in the end, it earned Bell millions. -
The Phonograph
In 1877 Thomas Edison invented the Phonograph. This machine would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to speculate that a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against rapidly-moving thin paper. When someone spoke into the mouth piece, their voice could be played back to them. -
The Cash Register
In 1879, James Ritty invented the cash register. The cash register was a machine for calculating and recording sales. It also had a cash drawer for storing money. This machine was nicknamed the "Incorruptible Cashier" because it would not steal profits, like some employees would. In 1884, John Patterson bought the cash register from James Ritty. After John Patterson bought the cash register, he improved it by adding a paper roll to record sales transactions. -
The Powerplant
The first powerplant was built in 1882, by Thomas Edison, in New York City. With the flip of a switch, Edison could set that district ablaze with light. Within a year Edison's power plant was supplying electricity to homes and bussinesses. Soon more powerplants were built. Factories replaced steam-powered engines with safer, quieter, electric engines. The modern age of electricity had begun. -
The Kodak Camera
On September 4, 1888 George Eastman developed the Kodak camera. This was the first hand camera to incorporate roll film. The Kodak camera could take 100 pictures. When it was done, the camera would be mailed back to Kodak to have the film developed and new film put in. It weighed just over 1 kg. This was a huge innovation of that time and was what started the line of small cameras with film that could be developed. -
The Motor-Driven Vacuum Cleaner
John Thurman started a horse-drawn vacuum system with door-to-door service in St Louis. The service price was $4 per visit in 1903. He invented his Gasoline-Powered Vacuum Cleaner in 1899, which some historians consider it the first motorized vacuum cleaner. Thurman's vacuum was patented on October 3, 1899. -
The Safety Razor with Throwaway Blades
The first safety razor with throwaway blades was invented in 1903 by King C. Gillette. The razor allowed you to shave safely and dispose of the used blades when they were done. It was called the Gillette Razor. King C. Gillette then started the Gillette Safety Razor Company in Boston. Steadily, sales grew, but during World War 1 the U.S. Government issued Gillette safety razors to the entire army. By the end of the war, about 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades were put into military hands. -
The Airplane
In 1903 Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the first airplane. There were many who had tried to do this before, but this was the first working airplane. The airplane used its own power to carry a man into the sky and land him safely. In the first successful experiment the Wright brothers conducted, the airplane soared to an altitude of 10 feet, traveled 120 feet, and landed 12 seconds after takeoff. This invention is important because it changed our modern way of travel forever.
