This decade was marked by great activity, particularly in the field of electricity. While we are confining ourselves to mechanical inventions we cannot but mention Bell’s telephone (1876), Edison’s carbon filament lamp (1878), and Berliner’s transmitter and Edison’s carbon microphone which belong to the decade, although their patents were not issued until 1891 and 1892 respectively.
The web printing press was invented by Hoe in 1871. Ingersoll’s compressed air rock drill appeared in the same year. A marked improvement in the Westinghouse air brake was patented in 1872, and the automatic car coupler appeared in 1873. The positive motion loom was invented by Lyall in 1872.
The harvester was improved by Gorham’s twine binder in 1874, and in the same year a machine for making barbed wire was produced.
The Centennial year saw an important development in milling processes when the roller mill was introduced to take the place of the time-honored millstones. The middlings purifier was invented by George T. Smith in 1875. The hydraulic dredge was invented in 1876, also the universal grinder, and a machine for making cigarettes.
Edison’s invention of the phonograph and Otto’s invention of the gas engine give prominence to the year 1877 and the Remington typewriter to the year 1878.
1881-1890
The inventions of most far-reaching importance in this decade were Mergenthaler’s linotype machine, which was invented in 1884 and further developed into a practical machine in 1890; Gottlieb Daimler’s invention of the automobile in 1883, and J. B. Dunlop’s invention of the pneumatic tire in 1890.
Berliner in 1887 invented the flat-disk talking machine known as the “Gramophone.” The snapshot “Kodak” camera appeared in 1888. In this year De Laval invented his steam turbine, while Harvey invented his process for annealing armor plate.
The following year nickel steel was invented. In 1883 Sir Hiram Maxim invented the machine gun. Hugo Bilgram’s generating system of gear cutting was invented in 1881.
A less prominent, though very important, invention of the same year was the buttonhole machine patented by Reece.