How the Ninteenth Century Invented the Future

This Olio focuses on innovations in nineteenth century technology that were at the core of the industrial transformation of American society. These technologies laid the groundwork for the advances of the 20th century. From the start of the nineteenth century to the present the pace of technological innovation and its deployment occurred at an unprecedented rate and came to create and define the idea of Progress.

The talk covers the emergence of the industrial manufacturing, communication and transportation infrastructure and how they interacted to create the modern world. Industrial innovation in the nineteenth century was evolutionary, with new inventions building on predecessors.

While people prior to the industrial period valued and lived in worlds where change was imperceptible, our contemporary culture and technological development are in a constant state of flux, the hardware and software of consumer culture is out dated almost as soon as it hits the shelves. The talk also is an explorations people’s individual and collective responses to the changing circumstances of their lives.

Tickets $12

Berg’n

899 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11238