The Day America Stood in Awe of South Carolina
Nearly 200 years ago, South Carolina was on the cutting edge of one of the Industrial Revolution’s biggest accomplishments…
Nearly 200 years ago, South Carolina was on the cutting edge of one of the Industrial Revolution’s biggest accomplishments…
(FITS News) - Strange as it sounds now, Charleston, South Carolina, was once the high-tech capital of the United States. It held that title for one glorious day – which just so happened to be Christmas Day 1830, exactly 195 years ago.
It was all thanks to a plucky little invention that was destined to reshape our nation. But first, the back story…
Nearly two centuries ago, much of Europe and the young United States were in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Machines were changing everything – including the way people traveled. Since the dawn of time, if you wanted to go somewhere, you had three options. If your destination was over water, you could sail by boat powered by wind or by rowing. Animals, chiefly horses, were the next best option. Otherwise, you had to hoof it on foot.
That was it.
But in the first quarter of the 19th Century, a fourth option was becoming available: steam power. The Brits led the way in advancing this new technology, creating coal-fired locomotives that crept — ever so slowly at first — along metal rails. It didn’t take long for this new…