Period

1800–1899

The nineteenth century brought steam power, factory production, and the first practical uses of electricity. Telegraph wires, photography, and machines for the office and the shop appeared, and many everyday systems began to be standardized, tying distant places together for the first time in a lasting way.

Placed by when the older technology emerged. Many of these stayed in wide use long afterward.

Work and Productivity

Manual Drafting vs Computer-Aided Design

Manual Drafting compared with Computer-Aided Design

Before screens, a design existed as ink on paper, copied by light and chemistry. Computer-aided design turned the drawing into editable data. This article…

Transportation

Paper Timetables vs Real-Time Transit Apps

Paper Timetables compared with Real-Time Transit Apps

A printed timetable promises when a train should arrive; a transit app also reports where the vehicle is right now. This article compares the…

Communication

Fax Machines vs Digital Document Sharing

Fax Machines compared with Digital Document Sharing

A fax machine sends a picture of a page over a phone line, and a shared file sends the page itself. The gap between…

Home Technology

Analog Thermostats vs Smart Thermostats

Analog Thermostats compared with Smart Thermostats

A school janitor walking from room to room adjusting dampers led to one of the first automatic room thermostats. More than a century later…