During the second industrial revolution (1870-1914), scientists moved away from trial-anderror methods to more systematically apply the principles of chemistry, physics, and biology (Mokyr 1998). The authors chose this period as the foundation of a project-based learning (PBL) unit integrated with the ninth-grade U.S. history curriculum (Thomas 2000). The unit encouraged students to associate the second industrial revolution's many inventions (in such areas as manufacturing, transportation, and communication) with methodical investigation and professional collaboration rather than random eureka moments. The goal was to develop student understandings about the evolution of different inventions within their scientific and societal contexts. The unit culminated with students producing and presenting timelines of significant inventions from the period. This article presents a four-phase approach to implementing the PBL unit that links scientific innovation to social context (Larmer and Mergendoller 2015). The authors launched this project at a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) academy in Jersey City, New Jersey. The small public high school offers all students a college preparatory program grounded in hands-on, project-based activity. The PBL unit took place in six two-hour weekly sessions.