Inventors of the Age

About this episode

This episode explores the impact of late nineteenth-century inventors on industrialization and everyday life in America.

Inventors in the late nineteenth century flooded the market with new technological advances. Encouraged by Great Britain’s Industrial Revolution, and eager for economic development in the wake of the Civil War, business investors sought the latest ideas upon which they could capitalize, both to transform the nation as well as to make a personal profit. These inventions were a key piece of the massive shift towards industrialization that followed. For both families and businesses, these inventions eventually represented a fundamental change in their way of life. Although the technology spread slowly, it did spread across the country. Whether it was a company that could now produce ten times more products with new factories, or a household that could communicate with distant relations, the old way of doing things was disappearing. Communication technologies, electric power production, and steel production were perhaps the three most significant developments of the time. While the first two affected both personal lives and business development, the latter influenced business growth first and foremost, as the ability to produce large steel elements efficiently and cost-effectively…

People in this episode

Host: Miranda Casturo

Topics covered

• industrialization
• technological advances
• nineteenth century
• economic development
• communication
• steel production

Keywords

• inventors
• technology
• industrial growth
• nineteenth century
• economic change
• communication
• steel

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Great Britain

Products: communication technologies, electric power production, steel production

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