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AMSCO 5.5 Technology in the Industrial Age Notes
1 min read•june 18, 2024
Topic 5.5
📍Topic 5.5 Technology in the Industrial Age
📖 AMSCO p.310 - p.316
Main Idea
Key Timeline
Image Courtesy of Isaiah Penny
Things to Know
Energy and Power Revolutions
- Coal became the dominant source of energy, powering the Industrial Revolution and replacing traditional fuels like wood. Its abundance and energy efficiency enabled longer factory operations and increased production. ⛏️
- Coaling stations dotted around strategic maritime locations ensured steamships could refuel and maintain their long voyages, reinforcing the global reach of empires and trade networks.
- Oil provided another source of energy. As machinery and transportation evolved, oil became a crucial component in the form of fuel. 🛢️
- Steam Power revolutionized industries and transportation. The steam engine, improved by inventors like James Watt, became pivotal in factories, mines, and transport systems, offering a consistent and powerful energy source.
- Electricity later replaced steam as the main power source, enabling factories to increase production and operate more flexibly, with innovations like the dynamo and the transformer allowing for the generation and distribution of electric power on a large scale. ⚡
Transportation and Communication
- Steamships drastically reduced travel time across seas, promoting greater interaction between continents and boosting global trade. 🚢
- The Transcontinental Railroad revolutionized transportation, connecting various parts of the continent.
- The building of other railroads, enhanced trade and spurred urbanization, with cities growing around railway hubs. 🛤️
- The introduction of the telegraph system allowed instant communication between continents, facilitating quicker decisions in trade, politics, and military actions.
- Alexander Graham Bell's telephone further revolutionized communication, allowing voice conversations across vast distances, enhancing business operations and personal connections. ☎️
Advancements in Materials
- Iron, an essential material for machinery and infrastructure, underwent advancements in smelting which increased its quality and utility. ⛓️
- Steel, a byproduct of iron, became widely used due to its strength and durability.
- The Bessemer process allowed for mass production of steel, further driving industrial advancements.
Terms to Remember
| Term | Definition + Significance |
| Coal | A black or brownish sedimentary rock used primarily as fuel. Its widespread use during the Industrial Age powered steam engines and factories. |
| Transcontinental Railroad | A continuous railroad network connecting coasts or borders. Its completion in the U.S. in 1869 influenced westward expansion and economic growth. |
| Steel | An alloy of iron and carbon, stronger than iron. Its large-scale production revolutionized industries and building techniques. |
| Oil | A viscous liquid derived from petroleum primarily used as fuel. Its extraction and use transformed transportation and global economics. |
| Second Industrial Revolution | A phase in the late 19th and early 20th centuries marked by rapid industrialization in several countries. It saw advancements in the chemical, electrical, petroleum, and steel industries. |
| Electrification | The process of powering by electricity. This transformation allowed factories, cities, and homes to be powered by a more efficient and versatile energy source, leading to rapid industrial growth and urbanization. |
| Telegraph | A communication system transmitting messages over long distances using wire and coded signals. It revolutionized long-distance communication, enabling rapid exchange of information across countries and continents. |
| Steam Engine | A heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. Its invention and refinement were central to the Industrial Revolution, powering factories, trains, and ships, and drastically altering economies and societies. |
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