World History: Lesson 32: The Age of Invention

Inventor / Accomplishments
Construction / •Patented the “Bessemer Process,” a method for cheaply mass producing steel, in 1855
•Steel would quickly become the building material of choice, since it was stronger, lighter, and more flexible than plain iron
•Invented dynamite in 1867, a stable (and therefore safer) new explosive which had both military and commercial uses, such as in mining and construction
•A devoted pacifist, Nobel used his fortune to found the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded yearly for accomplishments in science, literature, and world peace
•“Father of the Skyscraper”
•Designed the first building to use an entirely steel frame, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, IL
•Using steel allowed buildings to be built taller and began a trend of cities growing vertically as land became scarcer and, therefore, more expensive
Farming / •Revolutionized agriculture by developing the first commercially successful steel plow, an invention which opened up the American Great Plains to large-scale farming
•Invented the mechanical reaper, a machine pulled by a horse which could harvest far more grain than a man swinging a scythe; led to farmers planting more acreage, creating an increase in grain production
Electricity / •Invented the electric battery around 1800
•Electrical measurement “volts” named after him
•Discovered the link between electrical and magnetic fields (electromagnetism), vital to generating electrical power
•Laid the groundwork for creating usable electric current for houses, factories
•Developed alternating current, or “AC” electrical power
•Worked briefly for Thomas Edison, but the two developed a heated rivalry over how to best deliver electrical current (Edison supported direct current, or “DC” electrical power)
•In the end, AC won out over Edison’s DC, due to safety and cost issues
•Called “The Wizard of Menlo Park” (Workshop was in Menlo Park, NJ)
•He and his staff patented over 1000 inventions, including the light bulb, phonograph, X-ray machine, and motion picture camera
•In 1882, he built the first electrical power plant designed to provide constant electrical current to homes and businesses in Manhattan
Communications / •Invented the telegraph, a way of communicating by transmitting bursts of electrical current along wires, along with “Morse Code,” a system of “dots” and “dashes” that could be arranged to represent specific letters
•Pursued a career in working with the deaf (mother and wife were both deaf)
•His interest in how sound was transmitted led him to invent the telephone, a device which transferred sound waves along wires, allowing direct voice communication
•Developed the radio, transmitted the first trans-Atlantic radio message in 1901
•Radio allowed for voice communication without wires, vital to modern devices such as television and cell phones
Transportation / •Invented the first internal combustion engine, greatly reducing the size and weight of engines, while simultaneously increasing efficiency
•His invention would make both automobiles and airplanes possible
•Invented the gasoline-burning internal combustion engine in 1878
•Sold the first commercially produced automobile in 1888
•Built first motorcycle in 1885; sold his first auto in 1892
•Greatly increased the speed of automobiles, as well as stability (by adding a 4th wheel)
•Built his first car in 1896
•Founded Ford Motor Company in 1903
•Sold 15,000,000 of his Model T automobile between 1908 and 1927
•Pioneered use of interchangeable parts, a system where individual parts are made exactly the same so that parts from one machine can be removed and placed on another machine of the same type; ensures consistent quality and allows for simple repairs
•Pioneered use of assembly lines, a system where every worker is assigned one specific task in the manufacturing process, allowing them to become hyper-efficient at their task; workers are then arranged to perform their tasks in sequence to rapidly mass-assemble products
•Developed a series of unpowered gliders over the period of 1899-1902
•Finally built first successful powered airplane in 1903, opening the age of aviation