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James Watt Creates Steam Engine
James Watt created an efficient steam engine initially intended to pull water out of mines. His version inspired the Industrial Revolution as steam engines began powering machines and factories throughout Britain. -
First Steamboat Travels the Hudson River
Robert Fulton figured out how to make steam engines turn paddles to propel boats. His first steamship named Clermont made its way down the Hudson River soon after. Steamships eventually were used everywhere to transport goods. -
Stephenson Builds Steam Locomotive
George Stephenson became the Father of the Railroad when he used a steam powered engine to pull wagons along wooden rails. Soon bigger locomotives were built on iron tracks, and trains began transporting goods and people. -
First American Macadam Road is Built
John McAdam invented the macadam road surface composed of several layers of crushed rock. This revolutionized road construction as wagons could now travel faster and the roads drained better to prevent flooding. -
Samuel Morse Sends First Telegraphic Message
Samuel Morse invented the first electric telegraph which enabled people to send messages quickly across long distances. Morse forever changed communication and even created Morse Code to carry along these messages. -
Siemens Invents Pointer Telegraph and Electrical Insulation
Werner von Siemens built his own version of the telegraph that was able to transmit messages with letters. The same year he pioneered the use of latex-derivative gutta-percha to insulate electrical cables. -
Bessemer Process is Invented
Englishman Henry Bessemer creates new method for producing steel in large quantities quickly. Steel was lighter, stronger, and more durable than iron, so it could be used to build taller, stronger structures and more precise and powerful machines. Steel propelled the second Industrial Revolution. -
Siemens Discovers Dynamo Electric Principle
Werner von Siemens made teh discovery of teh dynamo electric principle, which paved the way for his steam-powered dynamos. Dynamos enabled the large-scale generation of electricity which helped shape the Second Industrial Revolution -
Alexander Graham Bell Invents the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell, known for his invention of the telephone, revolutionized communication. There’s controversy over whether Bell was the true inventor of the teleophone, but he secured the patent to the technology and launched the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. -
Siemens Creates Electric Railway System
Werner von Siemens company, Siemens & Halske, introduced the first electric locomotive two years prior. In 1881, his company built the first commercially operating electric railway system. -
Daimler Designs One of the First Automobiles
Gottlieb Daimler four years before in 1889 had created a better model of the internal combustion engine, which he attached to a bike to create a motorcycle. He eventually attached this motor to a four wheeled vehicle, which many would argue was the first automobile. -
Marconi Invents the First Radio
Italian Gugliemo Marconi invented the “wireless telegraph.” He used radio waves to transmit Morse code and the instrument he used became known as the radio. Radio soon became a popular aspect of daily life for communication. -
Wright Brothers Launch First Airplane
Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the first powered airplane which flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, making a 12-second flight. Their accomplishment was a technological breakthrough for the first functional airplane and established the foundation of aeronautical engineering. There ideas were quickly used to create fighter jets which became important for air control in the World Wars. -
First German U-boat is Launched
U-boats were submarines created and deployed by Germany during the First World War. In World War I they primarily attacked shipping lines and were even responsible for sinking the Lusitania. In World War II, Germany’s U-boats dominated the Battle of the Atlantic until antisubmarine tactics were developed. -
Einstein Publishes his Theory of Relativity
Albert Einsteins Theory of Relativity includes revolutionary insights about the nature of light, time, and energy. The Special Theory of Relativity includes the famous equation e=mc^2 describing the relationship between matter and energy. -
HMS Dreadnought is Launched
Britains Royal Navy battleship HMS Dreadnought changed the future of warship design, construction and operation. The name Dreadnought was used to an entire class of similar vessels rapidly built by other maritime nations as the First World War loomed. -
Henry Ford Installs First Assembly Line
Henry Ford created the first moving assembly line for the mass production of the automobile. His innovation reduced the time it took to build a car and made automobiles accessible and less expensive for the general public. -
Tritton and Wilson Design First First Tank.
In order to find a solution to trench warfare in the Great War, William Tritton and Walter Wilson came up with a workable tracks which were fitted a ‘Landship’ now known as ‘Little Willie.” Little Willie was soon rebuilt and improved to become the first British tank design. -
Alexander Fleming Discovers Penicillin
When Alexander Fleming was observing his Petri dishes he noticed the zone around a piece of mold, identified as a rare strain of Penicillium notatum, inhibited bacterial growth. Fleming found that it was capable of killing a wide range of harmful bacteria. This discovery led to the introduction of antibiotics that greatly reduced the number of deaths from infection. -
Atomic Bombs Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In 1939 German physicists used Einsteins Theory of Relativity to find that splitting a uranium atom can release large amounts of energy. In late 1941, the American effort to build their own atomic bomb was named the Manhattan Project. The project was a success and later atomic bombs were used on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II and officially defeat the Axis Powers.