Benjamin Franklin
Besides being a prominent statesman, Franklin was also an inventor.  He worked toward practical solutions to the problems of his day.  He also had a keen interest in electricity, which led him to experiment with it many times.  One of his first inventions was the lightning rod in 1752. This device helps to protect buildings from lightning by channeling it away to the ground. Franklin is also noted for his invention of bifocal eyeglasses, which have split lenses for distance seeing, as well as close up.  Franklin also devised a more efficient way to heat the house.  Colonial houses received their heat from fireplaces built into the walls.  Franklin built a stand alone furnace that could sit in the middle of the room and radiate heat in all directions.  While not a great success due to a lack of proper ventilation of the smoke, with improvements it became the mainstay in American homes for decades.

Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney is most noted for his inventing the cotton gin.  This was a machine that picked the seeds from cotton much faster than humans could do by hand.  The significance of this invention was its effect on slavery.  Before the cotton gin was invented, many southern plantation owners were about to go out of the cotton business, which may have affected the number of slaves needed.  Without the cotton gin, growing cotton was not profitable.  But with the invention, southern plantation owners were able to make large enough profits to expand their holdings and import more slaves.  Eli Whitney also revolutionized manufacturing by instituting interchangeable parts.  Before, a machine that broke down would have to have replacement parts made by hand.  This was both time consuming and very expensive.  Whitney began to make parts standard, so that they would fit into all of the same type of machine.  When a part would break then, it was quite easy to replace and fix.

Transportation
Roads: The first big transportation project was the National Road which ran from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, Virginia.  This gravel surfaced road was completed in 1818 and was meant to serve commerce.  In this respect it failed as costs were to high to transport goods along after paying tolls.  The National Road was a success in that it spurred others to seek less expensive transportation.
Rivers and Canals:  Less expensive transportation was found on the rivers.  Initially, river travel was not popular because goods could only be shipped downriver. But, with the improved steamboats built by Robert Fulton, river transportation could be accomplished both ways, and much cheaper than using the toll roads.  Canals were developed to enhance transportation already on the vast river system.  The first major canal, the Erie Canal, was built from Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY  and provided a much cheaper way to transport goods.  Soon other states followed NY's example and began building canals.
Railroads: The building of railroads became a major focus of the United States during the 1840's and 1850's. This had a negative effect on canals as freight could be moved cheaper on the railroads, plus the railroads reached more places.  The building of railroads also contributed to the rise of the Industrial Revolution.