1844: Samuel Morse sends his first message over telegraph.

1876: Alexander Graham Bell invents the first "speaking telegraph" machine, or telephone. Advances in communications technology shrink the geographical distance between regions, which allows Americans to view themselves as a nation.

1990s: The Internet and the World Wide Web become household words. With the click of a "mouse," individuals connect with people all over the globe. The development of fiber optics in communications technology makes high quality, overseas calling inexpensive and convenient. The world is often described as a "global village."

1860s-1880s: The American railroad industry standardizes and consolidates routes, which facilitates movement of freight and passengers between different regions. In 1886 railroads adopt a standard gauge. In 1883 the American Railway Association establishes four national times zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific) to standardize train schedules.

1976: Regular commercial flights of the British- French supersonic transport plane, the...