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The steam engine
The steam engine changed the game in transportation and production during the industrial revolution. It led to a huge increase in the number of goods being produced. Prior to the steam engine, almost everything was used by hand, which was very slow and required hard labor. If not for the steam engine, we would literally still be stuck in the past. -
Flying Shuttle
The flying shuttle was invented by John Kay in 1733. It was used to speed up the production rate of fabrics through automated weaving. In previous looms, the shuttle was passed through the threads by hand, or if larger fabrics were being made, two weavers would sit next to each other and pass the shuttle between them. The invention of the flying shuttle allowed large fabrics to be made by one person much faster. Flying shuttles changed the way fabrics were made. -
Concrete
John Smeaton made the first modern concrete using coarse pebble aggregate and brick powder, reinforcing the structure of the concrete. This created a massive surge in the use of concrete because it was now more suitable for use in building. Concrete has existed for thousands of years, but it was rarely used for building because it was quite weak. Even further developments down the line included adding steel rebar into the concrete and artificially altering the chemicals in the concrete. -
Spinning Jenny
The spinning jenny was a machine capable of spinning more than one spindle at a time. This increased the production rate of textiles and provided industrialization in small towns. Prior to this, You could only spin one or two spindles at a time, and it took a long time. This revolutionized the textile industry and marked a major turning point during the industrial revolution. -
The Watt Steam Engine
The Watt steam engine was the first practical steam engine. The Watt steam engine was an improvement on the atmospheric engine, developed by Thomas Newcomen. The improvement required less heating to run, making it more practical. The steam engine could power trains, factories, coal mining, practically everything during the industrial revolution was powered by steam! The steam engine was the cornerstone of the industrial revolution due to its sheer power and efficiency. -
locomotive
Locomotives are vehicles powered by a steam engine that run on tracks. They provided fast transport across country and also aided in the transportation of goods like minerals and wood. -
The telegraph
The Telegraph, developed by Samuel Morse and other inventors, was a device that sent electrical signals through wires to other stations, allowing cross country communication. Morse also developed a code that could be used to communicate letters of the alphabet using dots and dashes. Telegraph operators were eventually able to understand and translate morse code like it was another language. The telegraph remains as the main form of communication throughout the industrial revolution. -
The mechanical reaper
The mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831. It was used to farm crops more efficiently and in great quantities. The reaper could cut up to 15 acres a day, rather than the 3 acres that a whole team of people could do. It worked by moving triangle shaped knives back and forth, cutting the stalks and being able to be collected. This changed the way farming was done, instead of spending a whole day doing hard labor, one person on one machine could cut down an entire field. -
Dynamite
Dynamite was invented in the 1860s by Alfred Noble. It was used to mine minerals, break rocks, clear fields and make roads. It is not an overstatement to say that this nation was built with the help of explosives. This increased production of minerals and ores. -
The photograph
In 1826, the first permanent photograph was taken using a camera obscura, a primitive type of camera. Later in 1888, Kodak developed a more portable camera that used a flexible exposure roll. Earlier cameras used a glass plate for each picture, this was costly and hard to use. The Kodak camera could be used by anyone who could press a button. If not for the camera, we would have nowhere near the amount of information as we have today. -
World War 1
World war 1 was the event that marked the end of the industrial revolution. By this time, the world was filled with factories, energy, and inventions. Many inventions helped with combat during the war.
