Gugliemo Marconi (1901) transatlantic radio message
Thomas Edison (1879)
Invented the incandescent lamp. Though he was, in general, prone to rude tendencies.
Joseph Monier (1849)
Reinforced Concrete
Large suspension bridge, "triumph of engineering."
Karl Benz's internal-combustion automobile engine (1885)
cars go vroom
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830)
Began the first regular commercial rail service
1858
Lit his home using coal gas. Also, he was James Watt's assistant.
Made generators and electrical engines possible
Singer's first practical sewing machine (1851)
John Kay (1733)'s flying shuttle
Tremendously helped with making weaving easier, used in the putting-out industry at first.
Charles Babbage (1834)'s analytic engine
James Hargreaves (1765)'s spinning jenny
Automated thread spinning
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.
Early form of photography
Samuel F. B. Morse's telegraph and Morse Code (1837)
More efficient thread spinning
Cartwright's power loom (1787)
According to wikipedia:
Alexander Graham Bell's telephone (1876)
Made communicating across long distances much easier, but such conversations still had to be done in public, etc.,
Gasoline refinement
First steam-powered mill (1779)
Crompton's "mule" + Spinning jenny and water frame fully automated weaving process. Yeah.
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.
This is a record player. Useful for music, instructions, etc.,
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
James Brindley (1761)'s Bridgewater Canal
For the World Exposition in Paris
Marc Brunel's first underwater tunnel (1826-1842)
First skyscraper (10 stories tall) (in Chicago)
1883
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)
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.
