Charles Babbage (1834)'s analytic engine
Early form of photography
Large suspension bridge, "triumph of engineering."
Thomas Newcomen (1712)'s steam engine
First commercially successful (though kind of clumsy) steam engine, used to pump water out of coal mines. Big deal, since we've just unlocked a new power source.
Eiffel Tower (1889)
Marc Brunel's first underwater tunnel (1826-1842)
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830)
Began the first regular commercial rail service
Jethro Tull (1708)'s mechanical seed drill
Helped plant crops
The first successful steamboat. Like the locomotive, made trade so, so much better. For example, now the US could leverage its advantage in having the Mississippi river.
Eli Whitney (1793)'s cotton gin
This separated the useful raw cotton from its seeds, making the cotton industry much more profitable. It had mixed effects — remember how a lot of cotton was farmed using slave labor.
Hiram Maxim's machine gun (1884)
Mass slaughter is now possible, begins mechanization of warfare. Unfortunately, as some predicted, his machine gun did not prevent war — people still fought, despite these monsters being on the battlefield.
Michael Faraday (1831)'s discovery of electromagnetic currents
Made communicating across long distances much easier, but such conversations still had to be done in public, etc.,
Henry Bessemir's steel converter (1854)
Revolutionized the production of steel
1883
First transatlantic cable completed
1858
Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769)
More efficient thread spinning
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
Samuel F. B. Morse's telegraph and Morse Code (1837)
This would allow for long-distance communication
Allowed for more sewing, including at-home
James Hargreaves (1765)'s spinning jenny
Automated thread spinning
Thomas Alva Edison's phonograph (1877)
This is a record player. Useful for music, instructions, etc.,
Robert Trevithick (1801)'s steam locomotive demonstration
George Stephenson's Rocket, 1829, would lead to great railroad infrastructure, which helped with city planning, made moving to the city easier, and made trade and large-scale commerce much better. For example, now placing factories in population centers made more sense. (I barely understand why myself, but okay)
Thomas Edison (1879)
Useful for, like, ship distress calls. Say, for example, the one the Titanic sent out.
James Watt's efficient steam engine (1765)
Like fifty years later, they finally came out with a steam engine with a condensing chamber, making it more efficient. Also a pretty big deal.
Gasoline refinement
First occurred in 1850. Gasoline is an important fuel source.
James Brindley (1761)'s Bridgewater Canal
William Murdock's cool thing he did (1792)
From Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
