Industrial Revolution

First Steam Engine

Apr 23, 1698

Thomas Savery was an English military engineer and inventor. In 1698, he patented the first crude steam engine.

Flying Shuttle

May 26, 1733

James Kay invented the first flying shuttle a device that allowed you to weave and sew quickly.

First threshing machine

Aug 15, 1734

Andrew Meikle invented the first threshing machine a device to remove husks from grain.

Spinning Jenny

Sep 29, 1764

James Hargreaves, a British carpenter and weaver, invents the spinning jenny. The machine spins more than one ball of yarn or thread at a time, making it easier and faster to make cloth.

Power loom

May 16, 1785

Edmund Cartwright invented the power loom, which, after 1800 was powered by new steam engines. Replaced the flying shuttle.

Cotton Gin

Mar 14, 1794

Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, a machine to separate cotton from seed, and clean cotton from other particles.

Steam boat

May 2, 1807

first successful steamboat was the Clermont, which was built by American inventor Robert Fulton in 1807.

Train invention

Jun 10, 1807

Richard Trevithick designed and built the first steam locomotive to run on smooth rails.

Invention of Telegraph

Sep 21, 1844

Samuel Morse invents the telegraph, which allows messages to be sent quickly over a wire.

Sewing Machine

Sep 10, 1846

Elias Howe invents the sewing machine. Now clothes can be made in large factories.

Reinforced Concrete

Mar 18, 1853

Coignet was the first to use iron-reinforced concrete as a technique for constructing building structures.

Bessemer Steel Method

Jan 31, 1855

Henry Bessemer invents a process for making steel out of iron. Having a way to make steel more quickly and more cheaply

Telephone

Mar 10, 1867

Alexander Gram Bell invented the first phone, and the first way for people to speak to each other from long distances.

Dynamite

May 7, 1867

Alfred Nobel invents dynamite, which is a safer way to blast holes in mountains or the ground than simply lighting black powder

Vaccine

Jan 3, 1870

A chemist named Louis Pasteur believed that germs caused disease. Using this information, he created vaccines that helped prevent many common diseases, which helped people live longer.

Microphone

Feb 1, 1878

David Edward Hughes invented a carbon microphone in the 1870s. The first microphone that enabled proper voice telephony

Light Bulb

Oct 17, 1879

Not the first man to create a light bulb, Thomas Edison created a light bulb that lasted longer than other designs and showed it off by lighting a lamp. Edison's light bulbs allow people to do many things at night.

Machine gun

Jun 2, 1884

The first self-powered machine gun was invented in 1884 by Sir Hiram Maxim. The "Maxim gun" used the recoil power of the previously fired bullet to reload rather than being hand-powered, enabling a much higher rate of fire

Diesel engine

Oct 9, 1892

Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel was a German inventor and mechanical engineer, famous for the invention of the diesel engine

Airplane

Dec 17, 1903

Using an engine that they invented, Orville and Wilbur Wright invent the first plane that is not powered by wind. Orville flies the plane for 12 seconds over a beach in North Carolina.

First Commercial Cars

Oct 1, 1908

Henry Ford creates a type of car called the Model T. It is much cheaper than other cars because it is made on an assembly line, allowing many more people to buy cars.