What major advancement in transportation occurred in 1825?

The correct choice highlights the significant event known as the opening of the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, which occurred in 1825. This railway, named the Stockton and Darlington Railway in England, marked a major advancement in transportation because it showcased the viability and efficiency of steam-powered trains for moving goods and people over land. This development paved the way for the expansion of railway systems throughout the world, ultimately transforming trade, travel, and the economy by allowing for faster, more reliable transportation options compared to horse-drawn carriages and canals at the time.

The other choices pertain to important historical moments, but they do not represent the specific transportation advancement of 1825. Gasoline-powered cars were developed much later, the discovery of America occurred in 1492, and the publication of Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton relates to advancements in physics and mathematics, not transportation. Thus, the development of the steam locomotive is recognized as a pivotal transition in the history of transportation.