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Railroads set up standard time zones
Operators of the new railroad lines needed a new time plan that would offer a uniform time schedule for departures and arrivals. Four standard time zones for the continental U.S. were introduced in 1883. -
First oil well is drilled, Pennsylvania
In the late 1850s, Seneca Oil Company send Coll. Edwin L. Drake, to start drilling on a piece of leased land. -
Transcontinental railroad is completed
On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, signaling the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. -
Bell patents telephone
American inventor Alexander Graham Bell tested his telephone in 1876, calling his assistant to say, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." -
First telephone in the White House
In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes has the White House's first telephone installed in the mansion's telegraph room. -
Edison perfects incandescent light bulb
Thomas Edison perfects the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb using a filament of carbonized cotton thread. His first attempt lasted 13.5 hours before burning out but later extended the life of the bulb to 40 hours. -
First electric trolley line, Richmond, VA
The Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in VA, was the first practical electrical trolley system, and set pattern for the most subsequent electric trolley systems around the world. -
Sherman Antitrust Act is passed
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices. The Act was passed in 1890 and was passed by the U.S. Congress to prohibit trusts. -
Carnegie Steel Company is formed
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel producing company created by Carnegie to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. -
J.P. Morgan forms U.S. Steel
In 1901, some of the world's greatest industrial and financial leaders joined forces to create the U.S. Steel Corporation. The company dominated the steel market during the first half of the twentieth century. -
Rockefeller founds standard oil
On May 15, 1911, the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company, ruling it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
