Large suspension bridge, "triumph of engineering."
Thomas Alva Edison's phonograph (1877)
This is a record player. Useful for music, instructions, etc.,
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
Joseph Monier (1849)
Reinforced Concrete
First transatlantic cable completed
Cathode rays discovered
1858
William Murdock's cool thing he did (1792)
Invented the incandescent lamp. Though he was, in general, prone to rude tendencies.
Tremendously helped with making weaving easier, used in the putting-out industry at first.
James Brindley (1761)'s Bridgewater Canal
Allowed for barges to carry coal from Worsely to Manchester
Eiffel Tower (1889)
For the World Exposition in Paris
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)
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 generators and electrical engines possible
This would allow for long-distance communication
Alfred Nobel's dynamite (1867)
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
Marc Brunel's first underwater tunnel (1826-1842)
First ancestor of the computer
Gugliemo Marconi (1896)'s wireless telegraph patent
Useful for, like, ship distress calls. Say, for example, the one the Titanic sent out.
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.
James Hargreaves (1765)'s spinning jenny
Gasoline refinement
First steam-powered mill (1779)
Crompton's "mule" + Spinning jenny and water frame fully automated weaving process. Yeah.
Helped plant crops
Karl Benz's internal-combustion automobile engine (1885)
Made communicating across long distances much easier, but such conversations still had to be done in public, etc.,
Daguerre's daguerrotype (1838)
Singer's first practical sewing machine (1851)
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830)
Began the first regular commercial rail service
