1. The Age of Invention

2. Sir Henry Bessemer 1813 – 1898 English
Patented the “Bessemer Process,” a method for cheaply mass producing steel, in 1855
Steel would quickly become the building material of choice, since it was stronger, lighter, and more flexible than plain iron

3. Alfred Nobel
1833 – 1896
Swedish
Began to use steel to manufacture cannons and other weapons, leading him to experiment with explosives
Invented dynamite in 1867, a stable (and therefore safer) new explosive which had both military and commercial uses, such as in mining and construction
A devoted pacifist, Nobel used his fortune to found the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded yearly for accomplishments in science, literature, and world peace

4. William Le Baron Jenney
1832 – 1907
American
“Father of the Skyscraper”
Designed the first building to use an entirely steel frame, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, IL
Using steel allowed buildings to be built taller and began a trend of cities growing vertically as land became scarcer and, therefore, more expensive

5. Home Insurance Building
Chicago, IL
Constructed in 1885
First to have a steel frame, reducing the weight of the building by over 60%
10 stories (138 ft.), with 2 more floors added in 1890
Demolished in 1931 because it was considered too small – “skyscrapers,” such as NYC’s Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, by this point had grown 10 times taller

6. Tallest Structures

7. Burj Khalifa (Dubai)

8. John Deere
1804 – 1886
American
Revolutionized agriculture by developing the first commercially successful steel plow, an invention which opened up the American Midwest to large-scale farming
His company is a top maker of tractors and lawn mowers today

9. Cyrus McCormick 1809 – 1884 American
Invented the mechanical reaper, a machine pulled by a horse which could harvest far more grain than a man swinging a scythe; led to farmers planting more acreage, creating an increase in grain production
His company is known today as International Harvester

10. Alessandro Volta
1745 – 1827
Italian physicist and chemist who studied electricity
Invented the electric battery around 1800
Honored by Napoleon for his work
Electrical measurement “volts” named after him

11. Michael Faraday 1791 – 1867 English
No formal education, largely self-taught
Discovered the link between electrical and magnetic fields, vital to generating electrical power
Laid the groundwork for creating usable electric current for houses, factories

12. Nikola Tesla 1856 – 1943 Serbian immigrant to the U.S.
Developed alternating current, or “AC” electrical power
Worked briefly for Thomas Edison, but the two developed a heated rivalry over how to best deliver electrical current (Edison supported direct current, or “DC” electrical power)
In the end, Tesla’s AC won out over Edison’s DC, due to safety and cost issues

13. Thomas Edison
1847 – 1931
Called “The Wizard of Menlo Park” (Workshop was in Menlo Park, NJ)
He and his staff patented over 1000 inventions, including the light bulb, phonograph, X-ray machine, and motion picture camera
In 1882, he built the first electrical power plant designed to provide constant electrical current to homes and businesses in Manhattan
Edison’s electrical appliance company, General Electric (GE), remains one of the largest corporations in the U.S.

14. Electricity
By 1900, electrical power had changed how people lived and worked
Electric lighting was safer, brighter, and more efficient
Electric appliances made people’s lives easier, creating more leisure time

15. Samuel F.B. Morse 1791 – 1872 American
Actually a landscape painter by trade
Invented the telegraph, a way of communicating by transmitting bursts of electrical current along wires, along with “Morse Code,” a system of “dots” and “dashes” that could be arranged to represent specific letters 15

16. Alexander Graham Bell 1847 – 1922 Scottish-Canadian
Pursued a career in working with the deaf (mother and wife were both deaf)
His interest in how sound was transmitted led him to invent the telephone, a device which transferred sound waves along wires, allowing direct voice communication 16

17. Guglielmo Marconi 1874 – 1937 Italian
Developed the radio, transmitted the first trans-Atlantic radio message in 1901
Radio allowed for voice communication without wires, vital to modern devices such as television and cell phones 17

18. Nikolaus Otto
1832 – 1891
German
Invented the first internal combustion engine, greatly reducing the size and weight of engines, while simultaneously increasing efficiency
His invention would make both automobiles and airplanes possible

19. Karl Benz
1844 – 1929
German
Invented the gasoline-burning internal combustion engine in 1878
Sold the first commercially produced automobile in 1888
His company still exists today as Daimler AG (producer of Mercedes-Benz automobiles)

20. Benz’s First Car

21. Gottlieb Daimler 1834 – 1900 German Built first motorcycle in 1885
Sold his first auto in 1892
Greatly increased the speed of automobiles, as well as stability (by adding a 4th wheel)

22. Daimler’s Motorcycle

23. Early Daimler Automobile

24. Henry Ford
1863 – 1947
American
One time employee of Thomas Edison, but left after Edison showed no interest in automobiles
Built his first car in 1896
Founded Ford Motor Company in 1903
Sold 15,000,000 of his Model T automobile between 1908 and 1927

25. Ford Model “T”

26. New Methods of Production
Ideas first pioneered on a large scale by Henry Ford (although he did not invent either method)
Made manufacturing quicker (increased supply)
Made manufacturing cheaper (lowered costs)
Led to lower prices for consumers (increased access)
Also changed labor practices by paying his workers $5/day, making it possible for them to afford the very cars they built
“If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right”
- Henry Ford

27. New Methods of Production
1. Interchangeable Parts
2. The Assembly Line
First used by inventor Eli Whitney around 1800 for manufacturing standardized muskets for the US military
System where individual parts are made exactly the same so that parts from one machine can be removed and placed on another machine of the same type
Ensures consistent quality and allows for simple repairs
Also first used by Eli Whitney
System where every worker is assigned one specific task in the manufacturing process, allowing them to become hyper-efficient at their task; workers are then arranged to perform their tasks in sequence to rapidly mass-assemble products

28. 1. Interchangeable Parts

29. 2. The Assembly Line

30. Orville & Wilbur Wright
American mechanics
Developed a series of unpowered gliders over the period of
Finally built first successful powered airplane in 1903, opening the age of aviation

31. Wrights’ Airplane