History of Development in Transportation Essay Sample

Throughout the years’ transportation has evolved with society, it began during the 1830s and continued throughout the 1840s. With the beginning of transportation advancements, the communication that connected many evolved along with it. With the advancement of transportation and the continuing developments in communication methods, these industries thrived. Along with new ways to connect people, came new ways to produce and manufacture goods. Many throughout the years have forgotten the impact that these seemingly unimportant developments have had on society today.

The cars we have today are far from what was known in the 1830s and ’40s. But without the seemingly strange designs of cars from that time, we wouldn't have the amazing cars we have today. We are familiar with electric cars, going 80 mph, and flying to any destination in the world in a few hours. The fact that we could be “Getting on a plane in one hemisphere and getting off on the other side of the world is a life-changing opportunity that was unavailable to most people as little as a generation ago, and unthinkable two generations ago.” (Allosso) To tell someone from the 1830s or even the ’40s, they would think you were crazy. This is common knowledge for many today, but it was not always how it was in the 1830s and ’40s. To them, going even 10 mph was an amazing advancement. The invention of railroads that could travel only 10 mph at a time was amazing to many. Without this achievement made by our ancestors, that has had a huge impact on how life is lived today and how it functions. We have vehicles and airplanes because someone wanted a better way to travel. With transportation advancements came communication advancements as well.

With all the transportation advancements, next came the communication spectrum. It all started with telegraph poles along the railroad tracks. Today, communication is a lot simpler. We all pull out our cell phones and know what the weather is like in Australia; can text someone on the other end of the nation in a couple of seconds; order food online and get it delivered in minutes; can even take a class or get a degree online. This would have been astonishing to someone in the 1830s or ’40s. Communication has changed severely solely because someone didn’t get news in time to see his wife or attend her funeral. Though this sounds very cliche, without this we wouldn’t have a cell phone, laptop, internet, or videos online. This all happened because someone wanted to know when things were happening as soon as possible instead of weeks later. These developments lead to major industrial opportunities for the next generation.

With the advancements made in the 1830s and 40s, the next generations were given huge industrial opportunities. These new modes of transportation lead to companies that could help manufacture and sell these new transportation methods. Jobs as operators, salesmen, opportunities to help build the tracks for the railroads or town roads, and jobs to help improve these transportation methods that were now available for many. There are many other jobs that became available as transportation improved and became popular among many. With transportation comes communication. Jobs as technicians, salesmen, producers, and many others would come as communication continued to advance and improve. These are just some of the many ways these advancements have helped industrially.

Many jobs today are based around communication and transportation, but without the advancements made in the 1830s and ’40s, none of this would have been possible, and we might not have had what we have today. So next time you think about how cool the new phone is or the Tesla that you passed on the road, remember that none of this would have been possible without the amazing 10 mph railroad advancements or the telegraph poles that ran the length of the railroad.