There were many technological innovations during the Gilded Age and most came from great minds of men like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller. These innovations, such as the railroads, steel, and electricity, helped pave the way towards the strong and powerful America we know today.
Railroads today are hardly ever used anymore except to ship huge loads of materials from one end of the country to the other, but even then, there are other efficient means for the travel of such products such as by plane, but back then in the Gilded Age, railroads were a huge part of the political and high class society of America. To control an important railroad was to have power in the society of America back then, and your power and class position would go up even higher with many such railroads under your belt. Such was the case for Vanderbilt, who had crucial railroads under his control and authority. Because Vanderbilt controlled vast amounts of railroads, many of which were crucial to the trade and economy of America, he became known as the captain of industry of railroads and not only would that boost him up to be the richest man of America at that
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With the discovery of the Bessemer process by Andrew Carnegie, steel production increased with the thought of its usage being put into railroads, but others had a different idea. Andrew Carnegie had the vision of an America built upwards with the help of Carnegie steel and as such, started the upward expansion of America by supplying steel to builders who wanted to build skyscrapers and things of that order. This not only helped Carnegie's pocket but also helped invalidate the idea that other nations had that America was a failing country that would eventually disappear without the help of Great Britain and other European