Progressive Era Technologies
______
Widespread use of electrical power meant that factories could operate around the clock, producing huge numbers of cheap consumer goods
It also meant that new electric appliances, such as ______and dishwashers, were in demand for use in wealthier homes
Refrigeration
Electricity also ushered in the age of refrigeration
Allowed food to be preserved longer
Fewer diseases from consuming spoiled food (esp. meat)
______
1863 – 1947
Originally worked for Thomas Edison, but left after Edison dismissed automobiles as a “fad”
Built his first car in 1896
Founded ______in 1903
Sold over 15,000,000 Model T’s between 1908 and 1927
Ford’s ______
"I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one—and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."------Henry Ford
______
Ford trained each worker to do one specific job; this led to greater efficiency
Cars moved down the line from worker to worker having individual parts added along the way
This led to faster production and greater production volume, thus lowering the cost of Fords
______
Ford also saw his workers as potential customers, wanted them to be able to buy cars themselves
Offered the unheard of pay of $5 per day (as a ______– some workers made more!), forcing wages to rise across US
The Wright Brothers
Wilbur Wright
1867 – 1912
Ohio bicycle mechanic
Developed a series of gliders over the period of 1899-1902
Finally built first successful airplane in 1903 ______
Died of typhoid fever
Orville Wright
1871 – 1948
Ohio bicycle mechanic
Developed a series of gliders over the period of 1899-1902
Finally built first successful airplane in 1903
Died of heart attack
______
1902 – 1974
Rose to fame by becoming the first man to fly a non-stop solo trip across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 in his plane ______
In many ways, he demonstrated the commercial practicality of the airplane
Airlines
First commercial air travel in the US began in 1914
Didn’t become profitable until the 1920s when Ford began producing it Tri-Motor aircraft that could carry 12 passengers
Movies
First “movie” was the 12-minute 1903 Edison film ______
Quickly became one of America’s favorite forms of cheap entertainment
First “hit” movie was the 1915 film ______ which earned over $10 million despite being over 3 hours long and portraying the KKK as heroes
Movie Theaters
First purpose-built movie theater opened in ______in 1896 – seated about 90 people and showed travel films
Movie theaters quickly became a “must” for any town – thousands had opened by 1920s
______
After 1913, technology allowed long-range radio transmissions
1926: National Broadcasting Company (NBC) formed
1928: Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) formed
Radio programs became a staple of household entertainment; by 1929, 10 million radios were in use in the US
______Music
Music that reflected the hectic pace of city life
Scott Joplin (1867 – 1917) became known as the “King of Ragtime”
Mass Culture
US cultural trends became national rather than local – what was fashionable in dress, music, food, books, etc. was now more consistent across the country
Consumer Goods
Now available:
Electric razors
Disposable tissues
______
______
Washing machines
Gas stoves
Deodorant
______
Coca-Cola
Introduced in 1886 as a patent medicine
Name came from its two primary ingredients:
______ (from the coca plant) and
caffeine (from the kola nut);
cocaine dropped after 1903
______
George Eastman introduced the first camera for amateur use in 1885 and expanded the market in 1900 with the introduction of the “Brownie” box camera
The key element was the development of cheap film to capture photographic images rather than the heavy, expensive glass plates that cameras had used