Spinning Jenny
James Hargreaves developed the spinning jenny in 1764. This machine allowed workers to spin more wool at one time greatly increasing productivity. This invention was necessary for the industrialization of the textile industry.
Steam Engine
James Watt created the first truly reliable steam engine in 1775. Other, less efficient models had been developed in the 1600s. Watt’s version included a crankshaft and gears and is the foundation for modern steam engines. This invention made locomotives and many of the textile machines possible.
Power Loom
Edmund Cartwright invented the power loom in 1785. It dramatically changed the way cloth was woven by making it much easier. It would take almost another fifty years and several alterations by other inventors before it would become commonly used.
Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin (short for cotton engine) in 1794. Prior to the invention of the cotton gin, cotton seeds had to be removed from the cotton fiber by hand. This invention made cotton a much more profitable crop for farmers. With this invention, many more farmers turned to cotton as their main crop, greatly increasing the amount of cotton plantations in the South. These expanding farms needed cheap labor, which also resulted in an increased use of African slaves.
Telegraph
Samuel F. B. Morse created the telegraph in 1836. This invention changed the face of communication. Instant communication became possible between the east and west coasts and allowed people to know what was happening almost as it happened. This would revolutionize media and personal communication.
Sewing Machine
Elias Howe created the sewing machine in 1844. This forever changed the way clothes were made and allowed the mass production of clothing. Before this it was most common for women to make all of the clothes for their families. Only the very wealthy could afford to have a tailor or seamstress make custom clothing of the latest fashion. It was later improved upon and patented by Isaac Singer in 1855.
Internal Combustion Engine
Jean Lenoir invented the internal combustion engine in 1858. Eventually this engine was used in mass transportation.
Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone in 1876. The telephone further improved communications and eventually led to the various communications devices used today.
Phonograph
Thomas Edison created the phonograph in 1877. Prior to the creation of the phonograph the only option for entertainment was for live musicians or actors to perform. This allowed people to listen to music anywhere.
Airplane
Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright created the first airplane in 1903. The ability to fly had long been a dream of the human race. Within a few decades planes had changed the face of personal and business travel and had dramatically altered warfare.
Industrial Revolution Reference Library by
Almanac: Origins of the Industrial Revolution -- The revolution begins: steam engines, railroads, and steamboats -- New machines and the factory system -- Social and political impact of the first phase of the Industrial Revolution -- The second phase of the Industrial Revolution: 1850-1940 -- How things got bigger: economy of scale -- Social and political impact of the second phase of the Industrial Revolution -- The economy goes global: what next? Vol. 2. Biographies: Henry Bessemer -- Andrew Carnegie -- Henry Ford -- Robert Fulton -- Samuel Gompers -- Jay Gould -- James J. Hill -- Mary Harris Jones (Mother Jones) -- Karl Marx -- Cyrus McCormick -- J. P. Morgan -- Samuel F. B. Morse -- The muckrakers: Jacob Riis, Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens, Ida Tarbell -- Robert Owen -- John D. Rockefeller -- Theodore Roosevelt -- Adam Smith -- George Stephenson -- James Watt -- George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla -- Eli Whitney. Vol. 3. Primary sources: Ch. 1. Economic theory: Adam Smith -- Andrew Ure -- Karl Marx -- Andrew Carnegie -- Ch. 2. Technological advances and criticisms: Thomas Savery -- The workers and merchants of Leeds -- The Luddites and Charlotte Bronte-- Newspaper accounts regarding the telegraph -- J. D. B. Stillman -- Ch. 3. Working conditions: Michael Sadler -- Samuel Gompers -- Emile Zola -- Upton Sinclair -- Jane Addams -- William G. Shepherd -- Camella Teoli -- Ch. 4. Politics and law: Progressive party documents.
See Also
Great Britain - History - 19th century
Milestones In Modern World History by
Explains how and why the Industrial Revolution occurred and what its consequences were for the ordinary men, women, and children caught up in its extraordinary changes.
Europe Rules the World by 
Industrialization and Empire, 1783 to 1914 by 
The Industrial Revolutionaries by
In this vivid, sweeping history of the industrial revolution, Gavin Weightman shows how, in less than one hundred and fifty years, an unlikely band of scientists, spies, entrepreneurs, and political refugees took a world made of wood, powered by animals, wind, and water, and made it into something entirely new, forged of steel and iron, and powered by steam and fossil fuels. Weightman weaves together the dramatic stories of giants such as Edison, Watt, Wedgwood, and Daimler, with lesser-known or entirely forgotten characters, including a group of Japanese samurai who risked their lives to learn the secrets of the West, and John "Iron Mad" Wilkinson, who didn't let war between England and France stop him from plumbing Paris. Distilling complex technical achievements, outlandish figures, and daring adventures into an accessible narrative that spans the globe as industrialism spreads, The Industrial Revolutionaries is a remarkable work of original, engaging history.
How the industrial revolution changed the world by
From the beginning of the eighteenth century to the high water mark of the Victorian era, the world was transformed by a technological revolution the like of which had never been seen before. Inventors, businessmen, scientists, explorers all had their part to play in the story of the Industrial Revolution and in this Brief History Thomas Crump brings their story to life, and shows why it is a chapter in English history that can not be ignored. Previous praise for Thomas Crump's A Brief History of Science : 'A serious and fully furnished history of science, from which anyone interested in the development of ideas . . . will greatly profit.' A. C. Grayling, Financial Times 'Provides an enduring sense of the extraordinary ingenuity that defines our relationship with nature.' Guardian 'An excellent account . . Crump writes with authority.' TLS
The Industrial Revolution by
This book shows students how to find, evaluate, organize and use evidence on key topics, such as the origins of the Industrial Revolution, the importance of steam power and Robert Fulton's first successful steamboat voyage, conditions in urban New York, and the growth of the railroads. There are extensive references to types of sources, including eyewitness accounts, literature, and photographs, and a range of examples and graphic organizers, including timelines.
Brisbane Grammar School Libguide - Children in the Industrial Revolution
