President Ulysses S. Grant signs legislation designating Yellowstone
the first national park on
1 March 1872.
The Men Who Built America (Kerosene)
"Cornelius Vanderbilt (the Railroad King) owns more miles of
rail than anyone else in the world. He realizes the
raillines have been overbuilt and the future of the industry is
not in building new lines but in transporting new cargo. If
Vanderbilt can corner the market on a new source of freight, one
that can keep his trains constantly full, he will be able to
control the railroad industry. Oil is revolutionizing life in
America. Crude from the ground is being refined into kerosene, a
safe and inexpensive source of light and that access to light is
completely changing the way Americans live. Vanderbilt sees the
demand for kerosene skyrocketing all across the country. He
knows to meet the demand the makers of kerosene will need a new
way to ship their oil." Vanderbilt and Rockefeller make an
exclusive deal for Rockefeller's (Standard Oil) refined kerosene
to be shipped on Vanderbilt's trains at a discounted price.
Rockefeller buys out other refineries and owns 90% of
refineries, creating a monopoly.
Brooklyn Bridge
May 18 - After three men die from "the bends" (gas bubbles form in
the bloodstream when moving from compressed air to normal air pressure
too quickly) Washington Roebel becomes ill and decides to stop the descent of the
Caisson, 6 feet above bedrock. New York foundation is complete. 3 years down, 11 to go to finish.
It's magnificent twin towers, breathtaking span, cutting edge
technology, and sheer beauty make Brooklyn Bridge the grandest,
and perhaps the most important structure built in America during
the nineteenth century. It was called "the eighth wonder of the
world."
Curlee, Lynn Brooklyn Bridge New York: Atheneum Books, 2001.
