Who Made America Modern?

One way to think about modern history is “characteristic of a period extending from a relevant remote
past to the present time.”1 During America’s Gilded Age the nation became more modern through industry,
transportation, urbanization, politics, and immigration. The America of “now” owes much to the “then” of the
Gilded Age.
America became much more diverse during the Gilded Age as the destination for millions of immigrants
who flocked to the country in search of jobs, and to escape wars, famine, religious persecution and
overpopulation. Diversity itself is a characteristic of modern America, and people from diverse backgrounds
developed technology that made America modern.

Directions:
1. Using internet resources, research the inventions in the chart below to tell the story of what,
and who, made America modern. Search each invention by its patent number.
2. Respond to the writing prompts at the end of the document.

Social Studies Skills:

• This activity is an exercise in synthesis. You will bring multiple pieces (inventions and their stories)
together to understand the greater whole (modern America developed in the Gilded Age).
• This activity is an exercise in context. You will work to understand the full meaning of an event or idea
(how and why these inventions were developed) based on its historical setting (the Gilded Age).

Invention (Year): Patent Number Inventor’s Race/ Invention Context How Invention
Inventor Country of (Why, How Made America
Origin Invented?) Modern
1. Adding Machine (1908): US884721A
Shelby Davidson

2. Bicycle (1885): #274,231

John Kemp Starley

3. Cable Car (1897): Grant USRE10681E

Andrew Hallidie

1
Merriam-Webster, “modern,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modern
4. Cable Railway (1910): US979228A
Leonardo Torres y Quevedo

5. Calculator (1878): 207,918

Ramon Verea

6. Clothing Dryer (1892): U.S. patent #476,416

George T. Sampson

7. Diesel Engine (1899): Grant US736944A

Rudolf Diesel

8. Dishwasher (1886): # 355,139

Josephine Cochran

9. Electric Brake (1907): US867147A

Victor Ochoa
10. Electric Fan (1882): US403017A
Schuyler Wheeler

11. Electric Lamp (1881): US patent 247,097

Lewis Latimer

12. Escalator (1891): Grant US637526A

Jesse Reno

13. Lightweight Engine NO. US349983A

(1886): Gottlieb Daimler

14. Metal Detector (1874): US715180

Gustave Trouve

15. Motion Picture (1879): No. 212.864

Eadweard Muybridge
16. Portable X-ray (1909): WO2015001144A1
Monico Sanchez Moreno

17. Radio (1897): US586193

Guglielmo Marconi

18. Refrigerator (1910): Grant US1020102A

Carl Von Linde

19. Revolving door (1888): Grant US641563A

Theophilus Van Kannel

20. Stage lighting (1891): US445379A

Issac Peral v Caballero

21. Synchronous Multiplex Grant US690807A

Railway Telegraph (1892):
Granville T. Woods
 22. Toilet (1893): GB189311604A
Thomas Crapper

# 1,475,024

23. Traffic signal (1923):

Garret Morgan

24. Windshield wiper (1903): Grant US743801A

Mary Anderson

WRITING PROMPT: Use 3-5 sentences EACH to respond to the following questions (9-15 sentences total).
• How did the inventions that you researched combine to make American modern in the Gilded Age?
• What observations can you make about the inventors who created, or improved upon, technology in the Gilded Age?
(Consider context and inventor backgrounds)
• What are the “gaps” in our study of Gilded Age inventions? (What are we missing? What else must we learn in
order to understand the question of who make America modern more fully?)