Industrial Revolution

  • Jethro Tull - horse-drawn seed drill

    Jethro Tull - horse-drawn seed drill
    Jethro Tull invents a seed drill which sows seeds into the ground and buries them at a specific depth which allowed for mass food production
  • John Kay - flying shuttle

    John Kay - flying shuttle
    John Kay invented the flying shuttle which revolutionized the textile industry and was a step toward automatic weaving. His shuttle was mounted on wheels which allowed it to move from side to side with a paddle in order to weave the fabric
  • James Watt - steam engine condenser

    James Watt - steam engine condenser
    after observing Thomas Newcomen’s steam engine design, Watt invents a new design to be used in machines and transport which wastes less steam
  • James Hargreaves - spinning jenny

    James Hargreaves - spinning jenny
    James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny. The spinning jenny is a hand cranked machine which multiple spindles that spun wool into yarn quickly.
  • Richard Arkwright - spinning frame

    Richard Arkwright - spinning frame
    Richard Arkwright's spinning frame was a machine powered by water that allowed for automatic mass-production of yarn and thread using multiple spindles.
  • Adam Smith - free market system and laissez faire

    Adam Smith - free market system and laissez faire
    Adam Smith is known as the father of modern economics for coming up with a system of economy that is regulated only through the natural laws of supply and demand, not through government control. He catalogued his ideas in his 1776 book "The Wealth of Nations."
  • Samuel Crompton - spinning mule

    Samuel Crompton - spinning mule
    Samuel Crompton invented a spinning mule which allowed for increased production of thread and yarn. by combining elements of James Hargreaves's spinning jenny and Richard Arkwright's spinning frame, Crompton was able to make a device that spun hundreds of spools of yarn at once.
  • Henry Cort - puddling process

    Henry Cort - puddling process
    Henry Cort discovered a process that significantly increased pure iron production through what is called puddling. This process consisted of stirring the iron above a reverberatory furnace to remove as much impure carbon as possible
  • Alessandro Volta - electric battery

    Alessandro Volta - electric battery
    Alessandro Volta discovered electric batteries to provide power to machines. He did this by stacking alternating layers of zinc and silver metals in saltwater in order to allow an electric current to flow through.
  • Robert Owen - Utopian Society

    Robert Owen - Utopian Society
    Robert Owen invented the idea of a Utopian society in which poverty and unemployment was eliminated, and advocated for socialist government
  • Elias Howe - sewing machine

    Elias Howe - sewing machine
    Elias Howe invented the sewing machine which dramatically increased textiles production and production speed by automatically stitching together leather and fabric
  • Karl Marx - communism

    Karl Marx - communism
    Karl Marx invented the idea of communism as a form of socialist government in which all assets and businesses are owned and run by the government to create a classless society