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Steam Engine: 1698
The first steam powered was built by Thomas Savery, from England in 1698. He built this engine to help get water out of coal mines. Since this was such a simple machine with basically no moving parts it is nothing like the steam engine we know, but it helped to lay the groundwork for steam powered machines. -
Electricity was Discovered: 1752
Ben Franklin had been interested in electricity since the mid-1700s, but in 1752 he went out to conduct his famous kite experiment. He conducted this experiment to show that lightning was electricity and he proved this by flying a kite during a thunderstorm, during the storm he got an electric shock. -
Battery: 1800
Alessandro Volta invented what he described as an “artificial electric organ”. The battery was a huge success and quickly recognized as a useful device for everyone. -
Electric Motor: 1834
Thomas Davenport, from vermont in 1834 invented the first real electric motor. Granted there were several people before him who invented types of motors they were not powerful enough to do any type of “work”. -
Electric Telephone: March 7, 1876
Alexander Graham Bell made the first patent for the first electric telephone in March, 1876, but it would turn into one of the longest patent battles in history. He had been working on this invention since 1874 when he first thought of the idea. His patent was granted on March 7, 1874. -
Light Bulb: 1878
Thomas Edison started to focus on making an electric light that was much safer than the gas-light which many scientist were also trying to accomplish at the time. Edison started his own electric company called Edison Electric Light Company where he would do research and development. -
Automobile: 1886
While it is hard to narrow down the exact inventor of the automobile considering the vast amount of patents for it. While most would say it was Karl Benz from Germany; who invented what most would call the “first true automobile” in 1886. -
Wind Turbine: 1888
Charles F. Bush invented the first wind turbine in 1888 in Cleveland, Ohio. His wind turbine could produce about 12 kilowatts of power. -
Geothermal Electric Power Plant: 1904
Piero Ginori Conti an Italian invented the first geothermal electric power plant where steam was being used to make power. -
Hoover Dam: 1935
The Hoover Dam was completed and opened to the public in 1936. It allowed many cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas to be built and still continues to be a very popular tourist attraction.
