Cathode rays discovered
1858
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830)
Began the first regular commercial rail service
James Brindley (1761)'s Bridgewater Canal
Allowed for barges to carry coal from Worsely to Manchester
Michael Faraday (1831)'s discovery of electromagnetic currents
Made generators and electrical engines possible
Henry Bessemir's steel converter (1854)
Revolutionized the production of steel
This is a record player. Useful for music, instructions, etc.,
William Murdock's cool thing he did (1792)
Lit his home using coal gas. Also, he was James Watt's assistant.
Samuel F. B. Morse's telegraph and Morse Code (1837)
This would allow for long-distance communication
First steam-powered mill (1779)
For the World Exposition in Paris
Karl Benz's internal-combustion automobile engine (1885)
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.
First transatlantic cable completed
Useful for, like, ship distress calls. Say, for example, the one the Titanic sent out.
Charles Babbage (1834)'s analytic engine
James Hargreaves (1765)'s spinning jenny
Cartwright's power loom (1787)
Alfred Nobel's dynamite (1867)
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769)
More efficient thread spinning
Marc Brunel's first underwater tunnel (1826-1842)
Under the Thames
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.
Jethro Tull (1708)'s mechanical seed drill
Helped plant crops
First occurred in 1850. Gasoline is an important fuel source.
Reinforced Concrete
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.
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)
Invented the incandescent lamp. Though he was, in general, prone to rude tendencies.
Alexander Graham Bell's telephone (1876)
Made communicating across long distances much easier, but such conversations still had to be done in public, etc.,
John Kay (1733)'s flying shuttle
Tremendously helped with making weaving easier, used in the putting-out industry at first.
Singer's first practical sewing machine (1851)
Allowed for more sewing, including at-home
