6 Months to 6 Days: How ONE Machine Built America |#How ONE Machine Built America

In 1860, crossing America took six months. By 1870, it took six days. What changed everything? One machine: the steam locomotive. In this 8-minute documentary, we follow the story of the Transcontinental Railroad: from the Donner Party and the Pony Express, to Tom Thumb, Lincoln's Pacific Railway Act, the brutal Sierra Nevada winters, and the famous Golden Spike at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869. We also look at the true cost of progress: the Chinese and Irish workers who built it, and the Native nations who lost their land and buffalo. CHAPTERS : 0:00 The Golden Spike Moment 0:16 6 Months to 6 Days 0:32 America Before the Railroad 1:20 How Steam Engines Work 1:44 Tom Thumb and the First Railroad 2:16 Theodore Judah's Impossible Dream 2:40 Lincoln Signs the Pacific Railway Act 3:04 The Race Begins 3:20 The Chinese Workers of the Sierra Nevada 4:08 Union Pacific and Hell on Wheels 4:32 Native Americans and the Buffalo 4:56 The Ten-Mile Day 5:20 Promontory Summit and the Golden Spike 6:16 Time Zones and the Day of Two Noons 6:32 Chicago and the Rail Boom 7:04 The Forgotten Workers 7:20 Big Boy and World War II 7:36 The Legacy of the Railroad 8:00 Thank You for Watching Subscribe to Mechmindset-02 for more history and engineering stories. Like this video if you learned something new. Comment below: which part of this story surprised you most? Turn on notifications so you never miss the next episode. #History #Documentary #TranscontinentalRailroad