Inventions and Innovations

FYI: Life in the 1860s No indoor electric lights No refrigeration In 1860, most mail from the East Coast took ten days to reach the Midwest and three weeks to get to the West Coast. A letter from Europe to a person on the frontier could take several months to reach its destination.

FYI: Life in the 1900s Power stations across the country began providing electricity for lamps, fans, printing presses, and many other appliances.

By 1900, there were 1.5 million telephones in use all over the country, and Western Union Telegraph was sending roughly 63 million messages.

Patents License to make, use, or sell an invention , 36,000 issued , 500,000 issued

Your task is to... Identify the item that is patented. Decide if it is for business/industrial use or personal use.

Thomas A. Edison Setup research lab created a system for producing and distributing electrical power

Edison Perfected the light bulb

Edison Developed the phonograph

Edison Developed the motion picture camera!

Edison Freaks Out the President! Even though President Harrison was quite the “modern” President! Benjamin Harrison (President )

George Westinghouse Made electricity safer and less expensive. More effective air brakes for trains Developed a way to transmit it long distances.

Other Key Inventions Electric sewing machine Cameras (hand-held) Refrigerator

Meanwhile, back on the farm… Mechanical Reapers Sod busting plows Mechanized tractors Means less help was needed on the farm

Your Turn! Let’s check out some statistics about Inventions and Innovations

Inventions and Innovations Part 2 Making Metal for New Machinery

The Old Way: What is happening here?

Making Metal for New Machinery Iron Puddler was responsible for heating the iron to the proper temperature to burn out impurities leaving wrought iron He has control of the final product, not the owner of the factory

The Bessemer Process Henry Bessemer patented the process making the production of steel easier and cheaper. The Bessemer Process EQUALS Mass Production in steel industry

Process involves injecting air into molten iron to burn off excess carbon and other impurities.

Products Made of Iron From the Vulcan Museum, Birmingham, AL (a huge iron producing region)

Due to the Bessemer Process, a new age of building began to sweep the nation! The Brooklyn Bridge, designed with steel cables suspended from high towers, was made possible by mass production.

Skyscrapers! Strong steel (plus elevators) mean that America’s teeming cities can now grow upwards!

Elevators by Elijah Otis It took another innovation to begin the transformation of cities

“Old-timer – keeping up with the boys. Many structural workers are above middle-age.” Lewis Hine

Construction worker on lunch break while building the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center, 1932

Because of Steel The Railroad Industry Expands! Railroads help revolutionize business and industry several ways!

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ On May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad, extending from coast to coast, was finished with the hammering of a golden spike at Promontory, Utah.

Railroads and Industry 1.Provided a faster and practical way to transport goods 2.Lowered the costs of producing goods 3.Created national markets for buying goods 4.Encouraged innovation in other industries

And They Standardized Time! In 1883, the railroads adopted a national system of time zones to improve scheduling. a system we still use today.