Free Republic

The Industrial Revolution (1820-1870) ushered in significant advances in agriculture which resulted in an increased supply of food and raw materials. Developments in technology resulted in increased production, efficiency, profits, commerce, both foreign and domestic. Industries directly affected were textiles, coal mining, iron, transportation, and steam. The United States was second only to England in the production of wealth and export of goods. The American economy was strong and the dollar was gaining global recognition and nations were waiting in line for America’s exports and the American currency.

Joao Silva for The New York TimesIn Patrice Lumumba, on the outskirts of Maputo, a municipal worker sprayed a house with insecticide. BELULUANE, Mozambique — With malaria spread across southern Mozambique, executives at the international mining company Billiton expected some workers to call in sick as it began building a massive new aluminum smelter amid the cornfields here. What they did not expect was that nearly one in three employees would fall ill — 6,600 cases in just two years. And they certainly did not expect 13 deaths, not after the company had built a medical clinic, doused the construction...

HANOI, Vietnam, April 26 — It was Lenin's birthday. The most important Communist Party meeting in five years was under way. And the star of the show was the world's most famous capitalist, Bill Gates. The president, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister all excused themselves from the party meeting on Saturday to have their pictures taken with Mr. Gates, who has more star power in Vietnam than any of them. When people heard he was in town, hundreds climbed trees and pushed through police lines to get a glimpse of him. He was the subject of the...