Who was Edwin Drake, and what was his contribution to the oil industry?
An entrepreneur who drilled the first commercial oil well in Pennsylvania.
Name two inventions or technologies that helped businesses grow during the Gilded Age.
Steam engines and the telegraph.
What invention allowed people send messages quickly over long distances in the 1830s and 1840s?
The telegraph
What was the 2nd Industrial Revolution, and when did it take place?
A period of rapid change and innovation in technology and manufacturing during the late 1800s.
What is steel made of?
Mostly iron wi a little bit of carbon.
What invention by Thomas Edison changed how people lit their homes and businesses?
The electric light bulb.
Who was Andrew Carnegie, and what industry did he become famous for?
A business leader who founded Carnegie Steel. The steel industry.
Who developed Morse code, and what was its purpose?
Samuel Morse. Send messages using dots and dashes that represented letters and numbers.
Who invented the Bessemer steel process, and what problem did it solve?
Henry Bessemer. It solved the problem of slow and expensive st production.
Why is steel better than iron for building?
Steel is stronger and more flexible than iron.
Why was electricity considered safer and more reliable than previous sources of light?
It was brighter and not as dangerous as candles, oil lamps, and gas lamps.
How did John D Rockefeller make Standard Oil so successful?
He made deals with railroads for cheap shipping, bought out competitors, and sometimes drove companies out of business by lowering prices.
How did the telephone change communication compared to the telegraph?
The telephone allowed people to talk in real time and hear each other’s voices.
How did the Bessemer process make steel production faster and cheaper?
It blows air through molten iron to remove impurities, making steel production faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
Name two examples of new machines and devices made possible by electricity.
Refrigerators, washing machines, assembly line motors, telegraphs, and telephones.
What is a patent , and how did it encourage investors during the Second Industrial Revolution?
A legal right that gives inventors control over their inventions. Patents encourage inventors to create new things for profit.
What does the term “monopoly” mean in the context of big business?
When one company controls an entire industry.
Name two ways the invention of the automobile changed travel for people?
People could travel farther and faster, and roads and highways were built to connect towns and cities.
Name two important structures that were made possible by affordable steel.
Skyscrapers and bridges.
What was one major effect of the radio on families in the 1920s?
Families gathered around the radio to hear programs, which brought them together and spread information quickly.
What was the Gilded Age, and when did it take place in the U.S.?
A period of rapid industrial growth. It happened during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
How did Leland Stanford contribute to the growth of railroads in the United States?
Helped build the Central Pacific Railroad, part of the first railroad to cross the U.S. from east to west.
How did Henry Ford make cars more affordable for many people?
He used assembly lines to build cars faster and cheaper.
How did steel change the way buildings were constructed in cities?
Steel beams allowed buildings to be taller with thinner walls.
What achievement made Charles Lindbergh famous in 1927?
He flew across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris.