A Timeline of 10 inventions of the Industrial Revolution - Created by Elise Richards

By EliseRichards

  • FLYING SHUTTLE

    FLYING SHUTTLE
    The Flying Shuttle was patented by John Kay and allowed a single weaver to weave a wide piece of fabric and halved the workforce. It only needed a single operator. (Figure 1 above: Flying Shuttle being used in a Power Loom)

  • WATT STEAM ENGINE

    The Watt Steam Engine was developed by James Watt. It was a vacuum engine using steam at a pressure just above atmospheric to create a partial vacuum beneath the piston.

  • THE SPINNING JENNY

    The Spinning Jenny was invented by James Hargreaves. The Spinning Jenny was a multi-spindle spinning frame that reduced the amount of work needed to produce cloth.

  • THE WATER FRAME

    This machine was invented by Richard Arkwright. The Water Frame was a large spinning machine and was used when the cloth was only made by hand. The machine-made thousands of cotton threads all at once.

  • THE POWER LOOM

    THE POWER LOOM
    Edmund Cartwright invented the Power Loom in 1785. The Power Loom was a mechanically operated version of a regular loom and was powered by steam. It was used to weave cloth and tapestry. (Figure 2 above: An illustration of the Power Loom)

  • FIRST FACTORY ARC

    FIRST FACTORY ARC
    In 1833 the Government passed a Factory Act to improve conditions for children working in factories. (Figure 3 above: Child labour in England)

  • THE TELEGRAPH

    Developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse and other inventors, the Telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations.

  • THE SEWING MACHINE

    THE SEWING MACHINE
    The Sewing Machine was invented by Elias Howe in 1846. The Sewing Machine decreased the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies by sewing fabric and materials together with a thread. (Figure 4 above: An illustration of The Sewing Machine)

  • ELEVATOR SAFETY BRAKE

    In 1852 Elisha Graves Otis invented the first safety brake for elevators. The Elevator Safety Brake allowed elevators to be invented and to work safely.

  • THE BESSEMER PROCESS

    The Bessemer Process was invented by Henry Bessemer and was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron, prior to the development of the open-hearth furnace.