Age of Great Inventions Statistics

Utility (Invention) patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1865: 6,099
Utility (Invention) patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1880: 12,926
Utility (Invention) patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1900: 24,656

Patents held by Thomas Edison: 1,093

Startup capital used to found Montgomery Ward & Co. mail order retailer in 1872: $1,600
Annual sales for Montgomery Ward & Co. in 1888: $1 million²

American telephone subscribers in 1880: 48,000
American telephone subscribers in 1900: 800,000³

Global ranking of U.S. manufacturing output in 1870: 4th
Global ranking of US manufacturing output in 1900: 1st

Portion of Americans living in cities in 1870: 25%
Portion of Americans living in cities in 1900: 40%

Total US population in 1890: 63 million
Urban population: 22 million