The Second Industrial Revolution

Steel

• Second Industrial Revolution – a period of rapid growth in U.S. manufacturing in the late 1800’s.

• U.S. is the world’s industrial leader by mid 1890’s• Bessemer process Increases the efficiency in

which iron ore is turned into steel– What was built across the United States during the

1800’s that we talked about in our last unit that required a lot of steel?

– U.S. places tarriffs on foreign steel

Riding the Rails

• As steel drops, so too does the cost of riding the railroads

• George Pullman’s Sleeping cars • The invention of airbrakes makes travel by

train much safer

Cornelius Vanderbilt

• Vanderbilt University is named for him

• 1794-1877• Nicknamed the “Colossus of

Roads”• Built his wealth on shipping

and the railroad industry• At the time of his death he

was worth approximately $150,000,000– How much does that equate

to in 2012 dollars?

$3,000,000,000

New Sources of Light and Power

• Petroleum as a power source Kerosene• Oil Industry booms• Electricity– Thomas Edison• Has over 1,000 patents • 1879 the lightbulb is invented• 1880’s, George Westinghouse establishes power plants

and electricity soon powers homes across the country

Advances in Communications

• Telegraph continues to be improved– Transatlantic cable is run in 1861– Drawbacks of the telegraph

• Only written messages• Difficult for untrained people to use

• Alexander Graham Bell– Invents the telephone– Required thousands of miles of wires to be installed.

• Boston and New York City were connected by phone in 1884

Automobiles and Planes

• 1876 the gasoline powered engine is invented by Nikolaus A. Otto

• By the early 1900’s thousands of cars were being built in the United States– Early on cars were too expensive for the average

person– Gradually the price drops, roads are improved,

traffic laws are passed, and the driving test is administered

Driving Test

• What are the green signs on roads called?

• What is the speed limit on the autobahn in Germany?

Automobiles and Planes 2

• Orville and Wilbur Wright

• Originally bicycle makers• Kitty Hawk, North

Carolina on December 17, 1903 the first piloted flight took place

• Flew about 100 feet for approximately 12 seconds