Inventions Of The 19th And 20th Century That Have Changed The Way We Live Today

Here's a list of 10 inventions of the past that have drastically changed the way our lives are today:

1. The Way We Transport Goods: Railroad

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The Bessemer Process, which was mastered by Andrew Carnegie in 1856, made it easy to convert raw iron into steel quickly and efficiently. Once this invention was made, steel becomes a part of everything. Railroads became possible by steel production, transforming the way people did most everything. It was the most reliable form of travel at the time. By 1865, there were 30,000 miles of railroad and by 1900, there were around 193,000 miles of railroad! Here is a map that was sent to Congress showing the routes of the Pacific railroads. Because of railroads, products became more standardized after the invention of the railroad, because food could be made in one state, and sold all across the United States because the railroad transported it fast. People were able to travel to far places in just a matter of hours, and people start to shop more as a form of entertainment, because whatever they bought was able to be at their door in just a few days. Today, railroads are used, however, not as much as they were in the past because we have other ways of traveling. Without the invention of the Bessemer Process, or the railroads, a lot would be different.

"What Happened to Railroads?" Economic Lesson Plans, Personal Finance Lesson Plans and Resources for Educators, Students and Afterschool Providers. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

2. The Way We See Indoors: Light Bulb

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At a time when there were already arc lights, which are like today' street lights, Thomas Edison invented electricity and the longer-lasting light bulb. People didn't have lights in their house at the time, instead used gas lights. Edison took what his knowledge of electricity and combined it with his knowledge of gas lights to develop this electric lighting. He did this by creating a vacuum in the bulb, using filament, and running a lower voltage than the past through the bulb. This was a long-lasting source of light people could depend on. This is Edison's patent drawing he submitted. Today, light bulbs are used everyday. No matter where you go, whether it is a store or a house, there is at least one light bulb.

"Thomas Edison's Light Bulb." Thomas Edison's Most Famous Inventions. Edison Innovation Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

3. The Way We Listen to Music/News: Radio

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In 1897, Guglielmo Marconi was able to get a British patent for the radio, after testing a wireless Morse code message to a source more than a kilometer away and it working. A lot of people at this time were trying to figure out this wireless communication idea with these radio waves. In 1919 General Electric and the Radio Corporation of America made the radio huge. By 1939, around 80% of the United States population owned a radio. As entertainment, families would sit around a radio and listen to radio broadcasts. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the radio to give "fireside chats," in which he would sit and talk on the radio to explain what is happening to the government at the time. Click here to listen to the fireside chat. Even though many people do not use radios as often as they did in the past, the invention of the electromagnetic waves Marconi found out about are now used in things such as microwaves, wireless phones, and remote controls—all things we use daily!

"Imagining the Internet." Imagining the Internet. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

4. The Way We Travel Through the Air: Airplane

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The first airplane was invented by the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville. They had their first successful flight on December 17, 1903. They tested the first airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and later perfected the plane even more to make it a marketable product. Here is a telegram from the Wright brothers announcing their first flight. When World War I came around, airplanes became a big part of the war. Today, there are thousands of airplanes flown daily. People use it as a fast means of travel. Without the Wright Brothers and their invention, we would still be traveling by car everywhere!

"Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company/Aviation History Wing/A History of the Airplane." History of the Airplane. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

5. The Way We Travel On Land: Car, Model T

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Henry Ford made the first car, the Model T, possible in 1908. The assembly line made it achievable for the mass production of parts, which made the cars cheaper. The average American worker was able to afford these cars. The first Model T sold for $850 and by 1925, and with the assembly-line production it was sold for only $300. Here is a Model T that was sold for over $800. This factory work making the Model T's offered many job opportunities for people, and the Model T allowed Americans to travel easily. This started the auto-manufacturing in the United States, later being able to have more than 1 type of car with many options. Can you imagine how our life would be today without the invention of cars?

"Model T." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

6. The Way We Watch Our Shows and News: Television

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The television was first demonstrated by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. He tried to "capture moving images in a form that could be coded onto radio waves and then transformed back into a picture on a screen," which he successfully did. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president that was shown on television. The television replaced the radio and by 1953, two-thirds of Americans had televisions, it was becoming popular fast. This is a page of a newspaper at the time intro ducting the television. There were three major networks that were dominating the television market: CBS, NBC, and ABC. The invention of the television made it possible for people across seas to see what was going on in a different country, such as during the Vietnam War. The television shows included advertisements with a lot of product placement, to promote positive American attitudes. Life without TV today would mean no Netflix? Can you imagine that?!

"History of Television." Grolier Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

7. The Way We Treat Illnesses: Antibiotics

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Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, which was the first real antibiotic, in 1928. Before this discovery, when people got infections like gonorrhea and pneumonia, they couldn't be treated. There was nothing a doctor could do, so people were usually just on the verge of death. Once these antibiotics were revealed, more people were living. When people had a wound, there was not such a big risk in the bacteria anymore because of this medicine. Alexander Flaming won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for this invention. A picture of his nobel prize award can be seen here. Today, almost everybody has had at least one antibiotic in his or her lifetime. Whenever you are sick and go to the doctor, they sometimes recommend taking an antibiotic that treats you. They are very common today. Life would be chaotic without antibiotics, people dying every time they got sick with no treatment.

"Discovery and Development of Penicillin." Alexander Fleming. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

8. The Way We Wirelessly Talk to People Far Away: Mobile Phone

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Almost everyone today owns a mobile phone, and if they don't, they at least know what a mobile phone is. The mobile phone was invented by Martin Cooper in 1947 and released to the public in 1983. The first call ever made was to the head person of the cellular program at AT&T, in which Cooper told him, "Joel, I'm calling you from a cellular phone, a real cellular phone, a handheld, portable, real cellular phone." The first cell phone was about the size of a brick, but many new models have come out, making the ones today very lightweight and thin in size. It was about 10 inches high, 1.5 inches across, and 4 inches deep, weighing almost 3 pounds! Here is an interview Martin Cooper had explaining his invention and some thoughts.

Now, of course the first phone didn't have ability to send text messages, take pictures, and keep a calendar, but the first phone was just start of the multi-feature cell phones we have today!

"Inventor of cell phone: We knew someday everybody would have one." CNN Tech. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

9. The Way We Travel From State to State: Highways

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The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 was a federal program that improved the highway system. It was the largest federally funded works project to date that consisted of over 40,000 miles of new highway. It cost around $50 billion dollars, which was mostly paid by the federal government. It went all across the United States and protected individual free choice, so people were able to go anywhere. Once highways were put in, it allowed for continuous transportation and traveling by car became a national obsession. The development of roadside motels, fast-food restaurants, shopping malls, and diners all were able to happen because of this Interstate Highway Act. Here is a video of a Highway Hearing in 1956 explaining to people the highway and road changes that were going to affect them. Can you imagine today if you were constricted to one area without being able to get on a highway to get to another state?

"The Interstate Highway System." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.

10. The Way We Talk To People Via Computer: Internet

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The first sample of Internet was created with the invention of Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). They used this as a network of computer-to-computer links for military and educational research. Over the next few years, a few scientists were able to create a protocol that made is possible for computers to communicate across networks. Here is the world's first internet user and what they wrote. The Internet is very powerful and is used daily in peoples lives. It allows a person to talk to somebody thousands of miles away, without any problem. It has helped businesses, the economy, entertainment, and politics.

"10 Inventions That Changed the World." Stuff of Genius. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2014.