As the Industrial Revolution spread its influence more widely, the need for globe-spanning communications grew clear. Electricity made Morse code and telegraphy possible as early as the 1830s, while the first "electrical speech machine"—the telephone—was invented some decades later. As the century ended, radio signals were transmitted across the Atlantic in a true demonstration of global communication.

Life just before the Industrial Revolution shared many points in common with life as it was lived in the Middle Ages. Rural cultures based on farming, agrarian and trade-based economies—these were the dominant modes of existence. After industrialization, the world left the Middle Ages behind and plunged fully into the modern age.

Additional resources for further exploration

This capsule history of the John Deere Company provides an example of how a single craftsman with a good idea could build a large manufacturing company during the Industrial Revolution.

https://www.deere.com/en/our-company/history/

Compared to Great Britain, the United States was a relative latecomer to the Industrial Revolution. Read about important events and people in the Industrial Revolution in the United States at the link below.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/22a.asp

Experience life on the Erie Canal “firsthand” with “Marco Paul’s Travels on the Erie Canal: An Educational Voyage,” a lesson plan from the Library of Congress for grades 3-5 and 6-8 that includes complete instructions for preparation, procedures, and evaluation.

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/marco-paul/