Alfred Nobel's dynamite (1867)
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
Invented the incandescent lamp. Though he was, in general, prone to rude tendencies.
Joseph Monier (1849)
Reinforced Concrete
First steam-powered mill (1779)
Crompton's "mule" + Spinning jenny and water frame fully automated weaving process. Yeah.
Jethro Tull (1708)'s mechanical seed drill
Helped plant crops
First ancestor of the computer
John Kay (1733)'s flying shuttle
Tremendously helped with making weaving easier, used in the putting-out industry at first.
Henry Bessemir's steel converter (1854)
Singer's first practical sewing machine (1851)
Allowed for more sewing, including at-home
William Murdock's cool thing he did (1792)
Lit his home using coal gas. Also, he was James Watt's assistant.
Alexander Graham Bell's telephone (1876)
Made communicating across long distances much easier, but such conversations still had to be done in public, etc.,
Hiram Maxim's machine gun (1884)
First occurred in 1850. Gasoline is an important fuel source.
Brooklyn Bridge opened (1883)
Large suspension bridge, "triumph of engineering."
Gugliemo Marconi (1901) transatlantic radio message
First skyscraper (10 stories tall) (in Chicago)
1883
Allowed for barges to carry coal from Worsely to Manchester
First transatlantic cable completed
1858
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.
Karl Benz's internal-combustion automobile engine (1885)
According to wikipedia:
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.
Thomas Alva Edison's phonograph (1877)
This is a record player. Useful for music, instructions, etc.,
Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769)
More efficient thread spinning
Began the first regular commercial rail service
This would allow for long-distance communication
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.
Gugliemo Marconi (1896)'s wireless telegraph patent
Useful for, like, ship distress calls. Say, for example, the one the Titanic sent out.
James Watt's efficient steam engine (1765)
James Hargreaves (1765)'s spinning jenny
Automated thread spinning
