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The Steam Engine
The first practical steam engine is invented by Thomas Newcomen. Steam would become an important source of power for the Industrial Revolution -
Textile Industry
The First Industrial Revolution begins around 1760 in the textile industry in Great Britain. Over the next decade, manufacturing will move from hand production in the home to machine production in factories. -
Spinning Jenny
James Hargreaves invents the spinning jenny allowing a worker to produce multiple spools of thread at the same time. -
The Spinning Mule
The spinning mule is invented by Samuel Crompton, a device invented in the 18th century that spun textile fibers into yarn by an intermittent process: in the draw stroke, the roving is pulled through and twisted; on the return, it is wrapped onto the spindle. -
Steam Boat and Steam Trains
James Watt patents an improved steam engine making it useful as a power source in factories and other applications such as steam boats and trains. -
Textile Mill
The Industrial Revolution spreads to the United States when Samuel Slater opens the first textile mill in Rhode Island. -
The Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin is invented by Eli whitney increasing the production of cotton massively -
SteamBoat Operation
Robert Fulton starts the first successful steamboat operation with his boat the Clermont. -
Luddites
The Luddites were a secret oath-based organization of English textile workers in the 19th century, a radical faction of which destroyed textile machinery as a form of protest. -
Trade Unions
Trade unions are legalized in Great Britain.During the 18th century, when the industrial revolution prompted a wave of new trade disputes, the government introduced measures to prevent collective action on the part of workers. -
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is completed opening a water route from the Great Lakes to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean. -
Mechanical Reaper
The mechanical reaper is invented by Cyrus McCormick.This machine was used by farmers to harvest crops mechanically. For hundreds of years, farmers and field workers had to harvest crops by hand using a sickle or other methods, which was an arduous task at best. -
Steel plow
A blacksmith named John Deere invents the steel plow. The steel plow was used by farmers to break up soil very quickly, and easily -
Telegraph
The telegraph is invented by Samuel Morse. This changes the way people can communicate from long distances. -
Vulcanized Rubber
Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanized rubber. Vulcanization makes rubber much stronger, more flexible, and more resistant to heat and other environmental conditions. -
The Sewing Machine
The sewing machine is invented by Elias Howe. The electric sewing machine is invented, its helps rapidly produce clothing -
Safe Elevators
Elisha Otis invents a safety break for elevators making them practical and safe for the first time. This allows for tall buildings and skyscrapers to be built. -
The Bessemer Process
The Bessemer Process for making steel is invented by Henry Bessemer. This allowed for the mass production of inexpensive steel. -
The Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad is completed. The Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, and tasked them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from east to west. -
The End of the The First Industrial Revolution
Around this time the Second Industrial Revolution begins. This phase of the Industrial Revolution is characterized by rapid expansion of new technologies such as the telephone, railroads, and electrical power.
