The Age of Invention The Main Idea Important innovations in transportation and communication occurred during the Second Industrial Revolution. Reading Focus What advances in transportation were made in the late 1800s? What inventions led to a communications revolution? How did Thomas Edison help shape the modern world?

Student Performance Indicators What will I Learn by the end of this lesson? 6.8-I CAN Match innovators to their industrial and technological contributions 6.12 Assess the effect of late 19th century technological innovation on the daily lives of American people

Advances in Transportation Streetcars were horse-drawn vehicles placed on rails on the street to make the ride smoother. Cable cars were invented in San Francisco to get cars up the steep hills there. Subways developed as a result of increased traffic from horses and electric streetcars competing for space. Boston built the first subway line in 1897, with New York City following in 1904. Mass Transit systems are public transportation systems that carry large numbers of people and make fixed stops along established routes.

Advances in Transportation Automobiles—The first practical motorcar in the U.S. was built in 1893. Automobiles were only for the wealthy; a new car cost about $2,500. Airplanes—Ohio bicycle makers Wilbur and Orville Wright were the first to successfully fly an airplane. The first true flight in an airplane took place on December 17, 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina–

Communications Revolution The telegraph Samuel F. B. Morse patented his method of communicating by sending messages over wires with electricity, calling it the telegraph. Operators tapped out patterns of long and short messages that stood for letters of the alphabet. The system was known as Morse code. After the Civil War, the telegraph grew with the railroads. Telegraph wires were strung along the tracks, and train stations had telegraph offices in them. The telephone Alexander Graham Bell gets the credit for the invention of the telephone in 1876. Companies found the telephone to be an essential business tool. People wanted to have them in their homes as well. By 1900, more than a million telephones had been installed across the nation.

The Typewriter Inventors in many nations made attempts to create a writing machine. Christopher Latham Sholes, a Milwaukee printer, developed the first practical typewriter in 1867. He later improved upon his machine by designing the QWERTY keyboard, still the standard on keyboards today. The most frequently used letters were placed far apart so they would not jam when they were struck. The typewriter could produce legible documents very quickly. Businesses began to hire women as typists to manage company correspondence, opening up new job opportunities for women.

Thomas Edison Obsessed with progress As a child, Thomas Edison was curious about everything. Nearly deaf by twelve, he declared himself an inventor by age twenty-two. In 1886, he opened his own research laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. Hard work Edison said, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” He worked alongside his assistants and spent long hours tinkering with designs. Edison's attitude towards failures were that they were as valuable to him as success Electric lighting Edison developed the practical electric lighting. With the incandescent bulb came the need for widely available electricity. Edison would bring electricity to New York City, designing and producing all of the parts necessary for an electricity network. Electric power plants spread across the country. Over his lifetime, Edison earned over 1,000 U.S. patents.

Group Work: Critical Thinking Copy the chart on page 481 and record the similarities and differences between streetcars and automobiles