Liverpool and Manchester Railway (1830)
Began the first regular commercial rail service
Gasoline refinement
First occurred in 1850. Gasoline is an important fuel source.
Charles Babbage (1834)'s analytic engine
First ancestor of the computer
Gugliemo Marconi (1896)'s wireless telegraph patent
Thomas Edison (1879)
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.
Cathode rays discovered
1858
Early form of photography
Lit his home using coal gas. Also, he was James Watt's assistant.
First transatlantic cable completed
1858
John Kay (1733)'s flying shuttle
Cartwright's power loom (1787)
According to wikipedia:
Gugliemo Marconi (1901) transatlantic radio message
From Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
First skyscraper (10 stories tall) (in Chicago)
cars go vroom
Michael Faraday (1831)'s discovery of electromagnetic currents
Made generators and electrical engines possible
Richard Arkwright's water frame (1769)
More efficient thread spinning
Singer's first practical sewing machine (1851)
Allowed for more sewing, including at-home
Revolutionized the production of steel
Marc Brunel's first underwater tunnel (1826-1842)
Brooklyn Bridge opened (1883)
Large suspension bridge, "triumph of engineering."
Eiffel Tower (1889)
For the World Exposition in Paris
Robert Trevithick (1801)'s steam locomotive demonstration
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
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.
First high explosive that could be safely handled. Useful for mining and clearing areas for infrastructure.
Automated thread spinning
Samuel F. B. Morse's telegraph and Morse Code (1837)
This would allow for long-distance communication
Joseph Monier (1849)
