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William Kelly and Henry Bessemer discover a way to process iron ore into steel
process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron prior to the open hearth furnace -
Edwin Drake strikes oil in Pennsylvania
The oil rush began in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in the Oil Creek Valley when Colonel Edwin L. Drake struck "rock oil" there. -
National Labor Union
it paved the way for other organizations, such as the Knights of Labor and the AFL. It was led by William H. Sylvis. -
Joseph McCoy established a cattle trading station in Kansas
he conceived the idea of establishing a shipping depot for cattle at some point in the west and knew that the railroad companies were interested in expanding their freight operations. -
Christopher Sholes invents the typewriter
was an American inventor who invented the first practical typewriter and the QWERTY keyboard still in use today -
George Westinghouse Invents the air brakes
he increased the safety of the rapidly-expanding railroads by ensuring the massive powerhouse machines would be able to come to a stop with significantly fewer failures. -
Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads meet at Promontory Point, Utah
The Union pacific and central pacific railroads agrred to meet in Utah -
John D. Rockefeller creates Standard Oil in Ohio
it was the largest oil refiner in the world of its time -
The Great Railroad Strike
Striking workers would not allow any of the trains, mainly freight trains, to roll until this third wage cut was revoked. -
Edison invents phonograph
a way to record sound on tinfoil-coated cylinders. In 1877, he created a machine with two needles: one for recording and one for playback. -
Terrence Powderly becomes leader of the Knights of Labor
was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880 -
Samuel Gompers becomes leader of AFL
the AFL became the largest and most influential labor federation in the world. -
Haymarket Square Riot
At least eight people died as a result of the violence that day. Eight radical labor activists were convicted in connection with the bombing. -
Statue of Liberty is unveiled
a gift to the United States from the people of France, was officially unveiled to the public by President Grover Cleveland. -
Andrew Carnegie Publishes The Gospel of Wealth
describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich. -
Rivers and Harbors Act passed
The Rivers and Harbors Act also makes it a misdemeanor to excavate, fill, or alter the course, condition, or capacity of any port, harbor, channel, or other areas within the reach of the Act without a permit. -
Andrew Carnegie sells U.S. steel to J.P. Morgan for 480 million
He reformed his enterprises into conventional joint stock corporations as preparation to this end -
Standard Oil is dissolved
Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company, ruling it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
