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Second Industrial Revolution Timeline
(1870–1914)Energy and materials
Bessemer process patented
1856
Henry Bessemer patented a process for mass-producing steel by forcing air through molten pig iron. The method sharply reduced costs and helped make steel available for railways, bridges, ships, machinery, and skyscrapers.
Image source: Bessemer process
First modern oil refinery established at Ploiești
1857
A refinery at Ploiești, Romania, became one of the earliest modern petroleum-processing facilities. Refining transformed crude oil into kerosene and other products, supporting lighting, lubricants, and later engine fuels.
Image source: Ploiești
Siemens-Martin open-hearth process introduced
1865
The open-hearth process enabled steelmakers to produce large, controllable batches from varied iron and scrap inputs. It became one of the dominant methods of steel production during the Second Industrial Revolution.
Bessemer steel production expands globally
1870 - 1900
Steel output expanded dramatically in Britain, Germany, the United States, and elsewhere as Bessemer and open-hearth methods spread. Cheap steel transformed construction, rail transport, shipbuilding, armaments, and industrial machinery.
Image source: Steel
Dynamo enables practical electricity generation
1871
Advances in dynamo design made it practical to convert mechanical energy into large-scale electrical power. Dynamos became foundational to electric lighting, motors, electrochemical industries, and centralized power stations.
Image source: Dynamo
First modern oil well drilled at Baku
1871
Industrial oil extraction expanded rapidly around Baku in the Russian Empire. The region became one of the world's leading petroleum centers, helping establish oil as a major fuel and industrial raw material.
First hydroelectric power station opens
1882
The Vulcan Street Plant in Appleton, Wisconsin, began generating hydroelectric power for local users. It illustrated how falling water could produce electricity and helped launch the growth of electric utility systems.
Image source: Hydroelectricity
Edison Pearl Street Station opens
Sep 4, 1882
Edison's Pearl Street Station in New York began supplying direct-current electricity to customers in lower Manhattan. It was one of the first central electric power stations and demonstrated the commercial utility model.
Image source: Pearl Street Station
Westinghouse develops alternating-current system
1886
George Westinghouse and his engineers advanced alternating-current generation, transmission, and distribution. AC systems could transmit electricity over longer distances and became the basis of modern power grids.
Image source: War of the currents
Electricity powers the Paris Exposition
May 6, 1889 - Oct 31, 1889
The Paris Exposition showcased electric lighting, industrial machinery, communications, and engineering, including the newly completed Eiffel Tower. International exhibitions promoted technological competition and popular faith in industrial progress.
Image source: Exposition Universelle (1889)
Key Facts
- Electricity transformed factories, transportation, communication, and urban life.
- Steel production expanded through improved methods such as the Bessemer process.
- The chemical industry produced new materials, fertilizers, dyes, medicines, and explosives.
- The internal combustion engine powered automobiles, trucks, and early airplanes, while oil became a major energy source.
- Mass production and assembly lines increased output, lowered prices, and changed working conditions and consumer culture.
Source
This Second Industrial Revolution timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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