1794: First toll road, the Lancaster Turnpike,
is completed.
1807: Robert Fulton demonstrates a steamboat
on the Hudson River. Within several years,
steamboats are operating along the East
Coast, on the Great Lakes, and on many
major rivers.
1808: Secretary of Treasury Albert Gallatin
recommends a federal transportation plan to
Congress, but it is not adopted.
1825: Erie Canal is completed.
1830: Operations begin on Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, first railroad constructed for
general transportation purposes.
1838: Steamship service on the Atlantic Ocean
begins.
1857: First passenger elevator in the United
States begins operation, presaging
high-density urban development.
1865: First successful petroleum pipeline is
laid, between a producing field and a
railroad terminal point in western
Pennsylvania.
1866: Bicycles are introduced in the United
States.
1869: Completion of first transcontinental
railroad.
1887: First daily railroad service from coast to
coast.