The development of science in the nineteenth century is a very large and complex subject, with many different topics you can possibly explore. The best general site to begin your exploration is the Victorian Science and Technology Overview at Brown University's Victorian Web. Go here and explore one of the science topics (besides Darwinism) that you find interesting.
You also might find of interest a short work on the British physicists Michael Faraday and James C. Maxwell: a little indiscretion of my youth: Lines and Waves.
As you may imagine, the great changes in communications and transportation technologies over the last century have received a great deal of attention, ranging from very good scholarship to a wide-ranging enthusiast literature aimed at collectors and buffs. Our local museum resources should also be remembered, especially the National Air and Space Museum and the exhibitions on information technology at the National Museum of American History. Here are some places to start, but this is an area in which you are particularly urged to explore on your own:
A nice chronological overview of the history of telecommunications has been put together by students at a technical college in Esslingen, Germany.
This discussion of the historical relationship between physics and communications technology is worth a look. [This is a large ".pdf" file; if you cannot download (it is large) or read it, at least take a look at the short version.] Notice that it has been put on the web site for Bell Labs, arguably the most important industrial research laboratory in history.
In the field of transportation, there are also many possible sites with historical references. For the automobile, you might start with the Henry Ford Museum's discussion of its founder and namesake. For aviation, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has extensive materials on line, including materials from its Milestones of Flight gallery.
THANKSGIVING
Holiday--NO SECTIONS--BUT you should add the following to your portfolio: Write
a short paragraph about the most important example you can find of the contributions
of physics to industry in the 19th century. Explain which web site you found
that best supports your argument.
