These engines used much less coal to fuel them. Whilst coal was still the most widely used fuel, other forms of energy were being investigated and developed. Gas, electricity and, eventually, oil were soon to compete with coal. The discovery of these new fuels gave rise to new industries.
There were many new inventions during this time period, which helped a great deal in making the large-scale manufacturing of industrial goods possible. The Bessemer process, for example, helped the manufacturing of steel in the steel industry, and made it possible to produce large quantities of steel in a relatively short period of time. The Bessemer process which was the first cheap industrial method of making steel from pig iron, was named after it's inventor Henry Bessemer who was born January 19, 1813. .
By 1876, other inventions were appearing which were destined to eclipse the world of telegraphy. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell developed the telephone. His invention arose from his experiments with sound, which he had originally started with the aim of helping the deaf to communicate. Having originally the first working telephone in 1876, Bell then created the company, which still bears his name, the Bell Telephone Company. By 1884, Bell had installed the first long distance telephone lines. He used copper wire instead of iron wire since he found copper could transmit signals over longer distances. Surprisingly, it was not until 1956 that the first successful trans-Atlantic telephone line was operational. .
As you read, the second Industrial Revolution was based on the development of new found fuel energy sources, such as gas and electricity. These energy sources were used to generate the power needed to drive industry. Among the emerging new fuel sources, mineral oil was also put to use. In 1859, oilfields had been discovered in Pennsylvania, America. At first, the crude oil had been refined to produce kerosene.
