First transatlantic cable completed
Allowed for barges to carry coal from Worsely to Manchester
Thomas Edison (1879)
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.,
Cathode rays discovered
Robert Fulton (1807)'s Clermont
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.
From Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Early form of photography
Robert Trevithick (1801)'s steam locomotive demonstration
Gasoline refinement
First occurred in 1850. Gasoline is an important fuel source.
Brooklyn Bridge opened (1883)
Karl Benz's internal-combustion automobile engine (1885)
cars go vroom
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.
John Kay (1733)'s flying shuttle
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.
Eiffel Tower (1889)
For the World Exposition in Paris
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.
Cartwright's power loom (1787)
According to wikipedia:
Alfred Nobel's dynamite (1867)
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
William Murdock's cool thing he did (1792)
Lit his home using coal gas. Also, he was James Watt's assistant.
Jethro Tull (1708)'s mechanical seed drill
Helped plant crops
Charles Babbage (1834)'s analytic engine
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830)
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.
Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769)
More efficient thread spinning
Michael Faraday (1831)'s discovery of electromagnetic currents
Made generators and electrical engines possible
1883
This would allow for long-distance communication
Marc Brunel's first underwater tunnel (1826-1842)
Under the Thames
Joseph Monier (1849)
Reinforced Concrete
