Editing Victorian era (section)

===Industry===
[[File:Victorian Railways F Class.jpg|thumb|A railway crew  (1873)]]Known as the 'workshop of the world', Britain was uniquely advanced in technology in the mid-19th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buchanan |first=R. A. |title=Victorian Britain An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |year=2011 |isbn=9780415669726 |editor-last=Mitchell |editor-first=Sally |pages=784–787 |chapter=Technology and invention}}</ref> Engineering, having developed into a profession in the 18th century, gained new profile and prestige in this period.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buchanan |first=R. A. |title=Victorian Britain An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |year=2011 |isbn=9780415669726 |editor-last=Mitchell |editor-first=Sally |pages=265–267 |chapter=Engineering}}</ref> The Victorian era saw methods of communication and transportation develop significantly. In 1837, [[William Fothergill Cooke]] and [[Charles Wheatstone]] invented the first [[Telegraphy|telegraph system]]. This system, which used electrical currents to transmit coded messages, quickly spread across Britain, appearing in every town and post office. A worldwide network developed towards the end of the century. In 1876, [[Alexander Graham Bell|an American]] patented the [[History of the telephone|telephone]]. A little over a decade later, 26,000 telephones were in service in Britain. Multiple switchboards were installed in every major town and city.<ref name="Atterbury-2011" /> [[Guglielmo Marconi]] developed early radio broadcasting at the end of the period.<ref name="Baigrie-2007b">{{Cite book |last=Baigrie |first=Brian |title=Electricity and Magnetism: A Historical Perspective |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-313-33358-3 |location=United States of America |chapter=Chapter 10: Electromagnetic Waves}}</ref> The railways were important economically in the Victorian era, allowing goods, raw materials, and people to be moved around, stimulating trade and industry. They were also a major employer and industry in their own right.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ranlett |first=John |title=Victorian Britain An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |year=2011 |isbn=9780415669726 |editor-last=Mitchell |editor-first=Sally |pages=663–665 |chapter=Railways}}</ref>