Everything All at Once

Steam engines powered by newly-abundant coal have permeated the economy when a second wave of technological advance begins to hit, now powered by electricity. This begins with the telephone and light bulb.

As electric-generating plants are improved, the electric motor can now be used to power almost anything, almost anywhere, without steam. The downside is that wires must now be strung everywhere that electricity is used.

Cities are getting taller, as buildings now rise a dozen floors above street level, using steel beams to provide a durable inner structure that supports a relatively thin facade. Elevators are required, which run on steel cables.
Steel and coal, 1890s

  Big Upgrade
Steel is made from iron, modified only slightly to control the carbon content, but the change in material properties is dramatic. Steel girders can span longer distances for bridges, while railroads find that steel rails last 10 times longer, in service, than iron rails. The new Bessemer steel-making process makes steel suddenly much cheaper to produce.

Gasoline, cars and highways, 1930 map

  The Hits Keep Coming
A whole new wave of change engulfs both urban areas and farms, as gasoline engines are developed to power cars, trucks and airplanes. Happily, huge new oil fields are developed at the same time, to provide the gasoline. Highways are paved, and bridges and tunnels cross rivers which previously required ferry boats. This allows New York City to connect with New Jersey, for the first time. Built originally for trains, more tunnels are soon added to support growing car and truck traffic.


Internet 3.0, 2020 map

  Internet 3.0
This is mankind's new reality. Everything is connected, including most of the world's eight billion residents. Cell phones enable these connections to be maintained while walking around, shopping, or traveling the world. With a wireless connection, there's virtually nothing made anywhere on earth that you can't buy from your own couch, and have delivered to your doorstep. Meanwhile, cameras and hard disks record everything. Forever. This is freedom beyond anything ever imagined.