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James Watt: First Reliable Steam Engine
The steam engine was important in that it was able to harness the physical energy of steam to power machinery. The steam engine was vital in the success of the Industrial Revolution because without an efficient source of energy, major forms of transportation which allowed for the transportation of goods would not have developed. Interesting Fact: James Watt came up with the term "horsepower" as a way to describe the power output of a particular steam engine to a customer. -
Ned Ludd
Although many consider him a mythical english laborer, other think that he was a real person who destroyed weaving machinery in protest of poor living conditions. -
Moses Brown
Opened the first factory in the United States to house Samuel Slater's spinning machines in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. -
Eli Whitney: The Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin, invented by Eli Whitney, was a machine that was designed to remove seeds from cotton. This invention was significant to the success of the Industrial Revolution, as it made the cotton industry in the south explode. Interesting Fact: Eli Whitney made little profit from this invention, plantation owners simply copied his design without giving him credit for it. -
The United States of America
Industrialization came for the US during and after the war of 1812. -
William Cooper
Drew a diagram in which he called "The Day of a Child Laborer." This was essentially a schedule in which he desribed what it was like for a child laborer from wake to sleep. -
The Factory Act of 1833
This act was designed at the mercy of child workers and produced many laws which lightened the workload for children. -
The Abolition of Slavery
The Abolition of slavery in Britain came with the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. -
James Morse: The Telegraph
The telegraph, invented by James Morse was an invention that used an electric signal transferred by a wire to send a message to another telegraph in another location. Interesting Fact: Traditionally, the receiver produces a ``clicking'' sound when a current pulse is received that can be interpreted by the operator. -
Elizabeth Gaskell
Wrote "Mary Barton," A fictional yet realistic description of the living conditions for the average family in Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. -
Capitalism
Adam Smith was the main person involved in creating the idea of capitalism. Through his book "Wealth of Nations," he displayed the idea of a free market theory. -
Communism
Based on the priciple of communal ownership of all property, communism was largely based on the ideas and beliefs of Karl Marx. -
Socialism
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the "Communist Manifesto" which layed down the founding beliefs of Socialism. -
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism was mainly created by the ideas and beliefs of Jeremy Bentham, who believed Utilitarianism could be defined as "the greatest happiness principle." -
Affect on women
Although low down on the social scale, women basically had to work during this time period. Husbands no longer made enough money and therefore women had to fill in and produce an increased income for the family. -
Cyrus Field: The Transatlantic Cable
Cyrus Field gained the rights needed from Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island to land the cable along their coasts. After experiencing several difficulties, Field was successful in August of 1858. During this time, it was arranged for Queen Victoria to send the first Transatlantic message. However, the cable snapped, leaving a new, more successful cable to replace it in 1866.
Interesting Fact: Whereas it took 10 days to send a message over seas, it could now be done in a matter of minutes. -
John D. Rockefeller
Created the corporation "Standard Oil" which became the largest oil refinery in the world. -
Andrew Carnegie
Formed the corporation "Carnegie Steel Company" which was used to manage Carnegie's steel mills in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. -
Alexander Graham Bell: The Telephone
The telephone was created by the assumption that mutliple signals could be sent via electricity by the same line simutaneously. As a result, Alexander with his extensive knowlege of sound and music, created a working telephone in 1876. Interesting Fact: Alexander's telephone was to be a small improvement upon Morse's telegraph. -
Thomas Edison: The Incandescant Light Bulb
The incandescant light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison who placed a charcoal filament across to wires connected to the positive and negative ends of a battery. The filament produced a bright glow, and Edison was dubbed the father of the light bulb. Interesting Fact: Edison contiued to improve his invention untill he found a combination consisting of bamboo fiber, that would allow the bulb to burn 1,200 hours or more before burning out. He then established Edison Electric Light Company.
