Chapter 14, sec.1, Critical Thinking

5. Which invention or development described in this section had the greatest impact on society?Justify your choice. Think About:
• the applications of inventions
• the impact of inventions on people’s daily lives
• the effect of inventions on the workplace

The invention that had the greatest impact on society was the steam engine drill that invented by Edwin L. Drake. First the application of this invention had more use than the other inventions at that time. The drill now made its so oil could be easily drilled out of the earths surface. This made oil a more practical resource to get a hold of and use. Oil was used to be transformed into kerosene, and later when automobiles were invented and became popular gasoline, which was a byproduct of the refining process that made kerosene, was used to fuel them (pg437).
The invention had a huge effect on the workplace. Many petroleum-refining industries arose. Also many entrepreneurs took advantage of the oil boom to transform the oil into kerosene (pg 437). This invention effected peoples daily lives. Before this oil was hardly used because it was considered impractical. Now there was a plentiful amount of oil to fuel things like kerosene lamps. (pg. 437)