The Industrial Revolution is a phrase that encompasses the massive changes in agriculture and manufacturing processes during the 18th and 19th centuries that transformed the United States from an agricultural to an industrial society....

If you don't know that the incandescent light was a failure before it was a success, it's easy to write off some modern energy innovations like solar panels because they haven't hit the big time fast enough. Worse, the fairy-tale view of...

A promotional painting by George Inness will introduce students to a new invention from the nineteenth century, the locomotive.

Did you ever wonder who invented something, and when it was invented? Go to this interactive timeline that highlights inventors/inventions from 1750-1990. Click on the topic to read a brief paragraph about that invention.

Module with links to resources and videos on science, inventions and technology of the 19th and 20th Centuries that changed the course of American history.

This biography features Mark Twain as a regional realist author, world renown for his ability to portray real Americans in the late nineteenth century. Click "Mark Twain Activities" for artifacts and activities.

Read about George Westinghouse's invention, the train air brake, that revolutionized the safety of trains and train travel. Find out how the air brake worked and why it was such an important invention for the railroads.

See the wide range of gas-powered vehicles manufactured in America in the late 19th century. Click on each picture to read a detailed description of the vehicle, how it worked, and the history of its manufacture. From the Smithsonian...

Here is a thorough biography of inventor Granville T. Woods, who is credited with improving railway safety for bot the trains and trainmen. Find out what concepts in railroad safety are still being used today.

This resource covers the changing of America due to the Industrial Revolution which brought in not only new technology but also opened the door to reform movements. From the series by Joy Hakim, "A History of Us." Includes a teacher's...

Inventor Granville T. Woods is featured in this brief biography for his multiplex telegraph which was a useful invention for the railroad industry.

Multi media learning module with videos for students and teachers to learn about the Industrial Revolution and how America moved from and agricultural society to an urban machine-based production in the 19th Century.

A self-educated man with a brilliant mind, Michael Faraday was born in a hardscrabble neighborhood in London. Through the combination of insatiable curiosity and a powerful will to succeed, he transcended his austere beginnings to...

A detailed biography of Granville T. Woods, who was known as "the Black Edison" because of his many inventions. He is best known for greatly improving the safety of railroads by his invention of the Multiplex Railway Telegraph.

Who invented the first gasoline-powered automobile? Read this brief explanation of the early gasoline engine and its developer.

A fascinating biography of Granville T. Woods. It tells of his impact on railroad transportation, and how some of his inventions are still used today. Links with additional information are also available.

Read this homage to Granville Woods, whose inventions and improvements to the railway system not only made railroad travel safer, but also made the New York City railway system a possibility.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This is a review of famous inventors and people of the Second Industrial Revolution. Activotes questions are included. There is a citation for a United Streaming video clip at the end that could be...

This fascinating site from PBS features seven inventions from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with information about the men and women who created them. Click on one of the small photos to learn more, or scroll down through the...

Amelia Bloomer was a prominent advocate of women's rights in the 19th century. She invented bloomers to replace the skirt hoop, in an effort to free women from much of their cumbersome apparel. She later used her newspaper, The Lily, to...

This 3rd grade unit introduces the history of industrialization in the United States in the late 19th century. The development of mechanization and assembly line processes, reliance on unskilled labor, and geographic concentration of...

Find brief descriptions of the inventions of many African-American inventors in many fields in the 19th century.

Read a brief biography of Graville T. Woods, known as "The Black Edison" because of the multitude and scope of his inventions. Perhaps his most important was a way for trains to communicate with each other.

Learn details of the fascinating history of the early American railroads in the 1800s including their invention, their expansion, significance, and their impact on the transportation system of America.