In the mid-1800s, America saw some of the most brilliant thinkers invent objects and tools that are essential to your lives today. American history shows that such prominent inventions began in the First Industrial Revolution, up until the second, and have continuously outweighed the previous ones. Several of the most important inventions were created and patented in the mid to late 1800s.

Stephen Perry patented the rubber band on March 17, 1845. Perry was working for the Rubber Manufacturers of London when he patented the rubber band, noticing its beneficial use in keeping papers organized. At first, mostly factories found a use for rubber bands, but later on, William Spencer began bundling newspapers together with these bands, which proved extremely useful. Soon after, Spencer was selling rubber bands as office supplies, and it became a necessary household item.

In the mid to late nineteenth century, industrialization led many Americans to abandon their farms and rural life for the economic opportunities in urban cities. Many traveled far west as well, like to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, where the Yellowstone National Park was established. Congress reserves these national parks as reserves to protect against private ownership and settlement in order to maintain its valuable land for the animals living there. According to the National Park Service, photographs and paintings of Yellowstone eventually persuaded Congress to establish Yellowstone as the first national park, then President Ulysses S. Grant signed its protection act on March 1, 1872.

Alexander Graham Bell patented the electric telegraph on March 7, 1876. Bell initially looked into Samuel Morse’s invention of the telegraph in 1845 then began creating improved and modified forms of transmitting information through wires. In the 1870s he successfully transmitted the electric current from one diaphragm to another, where the sound vibrated to the other end. This revolutionary invention was challenged by another prominent inventor at the time: Thomas Edison. Edison attempted to create his own telephone, but according to the History Channel, the Supreme Court upheld Bell’s patent rights.

The inventions listed above and thousands more were patented particularly in the late 19th century as industrialization led to solutions for increased productivity in the workplace. Even though many of these items are used in our daily life, they never really cross our mind and were only invented a little over 150 years ago.