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First Steam Engine - Thomas Savery 1968
In 1698, Thomas Savery, an English military engineer and inventor, patented the first crude steam engine. He had been working on solving the problem of pumping water out of coal mines. His machine consisted of a closed vessel filled with water where steam under pressure was inserted - this forced the water up and out of the mine shaft. A cold water sprinkler was then used to condense the steam, creating a vacuum which sucked more water out of the mine through a bottom valve. -
Improved Steam Engine - Thomas Newcomen 1712
In 1712, Thomas Newcomen, an English blacksmith, invented the atmospheric steam engine, an improvement on Thomas Savery’s 1698 design. The Newcomen Steam Engine used atmospheric pressure to get the job done. Steam was pumped into a cylinder and then condensed using cold water, creating a vacuum on the inside of the cylinder. The resulting atmospheric pressure caused downward strokes on a piston. -
Flying Shuttle - John Kay
In 1733, John Kay invented the Flying Shuttle, an improvement to looms that allowed weavers to weave faster. The origin shuttle had a bobbin onto which the weft yarn was wound. It had previously been pushed from one side of the warp to the other side by hand. Large looms required two weavers to throw the shuttle, but the flying shuttle was thrown by a lever that could be operated by one weaver. -
James Watt's Steam Engine
In 1765, James Watt, a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer, was assigned the task of repairing a Newcomen Steam Engine by the University of Glasgow. It was the best of it’s time but was deemed inefficient and this got Watt working on improvements to Newcomen’s design. Watt’s 1769 design was his most notable, as it had a condenser that could be cool while the cylinder was hot. This soon became the most common design for modern steam engines and helped start the Industrial Revolution. -
Spinning Frame - Richard Arkwright
In 1768, Richard Arkwright invented the spinning frame, which could produce stronger threads of yarn. The first models were known as water frames as they were powered by waterwheels. It was the first powered, automatic textile machine and it allowed a move away from small home manufacturing towards factory production. In 1774, Arkwright built his first textile mill in Cromford, England. -
Cotton Gin - Eli Whitney
In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin, a machine that automatically separated cottonseed from raw cotton fiber. This revolutionised the cotton industry as before this invention farming cotton required humans spending hours separating the cottonseed and raw cotton fiber. -
First Non-Electric Telegraph - Claude Chappe
In 1794, Claude Chappe invented the non-electric telegraph, which was visual and used semaphore, a flag-based alphabet. It depended on a line of sight for communication. This was later replaced by the electric telegraph. -
First Crude Telegraph - Samuel Sommering
In 1809, a crude telegraph was invented by Samuel Sommering. He used 35 wires with gold electrodes in water, and at the other end (2000ft) the message was read by the amount of gas caused by electrolysis. -
Electromagnet - William Sturgeon
In 1825, British inventor, William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet, a device in which magnetism was produced by an electric current. This played a major role in many inventions to come, including the telegraph. -
Joseph Henry's Telegraph
In 1830, Joseph Henry showed the potential of William Sturgeon’s electromagnet for long distance communication. He sent an electric current over one mile of wire to activate an electromagnet, causing a bell to sound. -
Samuel Morse's Telegraph
In 1844, Samuel Morse successfully used the electromagnet and bettered Joseph Henry’s invention. His telegraph system was a practical and commercial success and later he invented Morse Code, a series of dots and dashes sent via a telegraph to represent the alphabet. For a long time the telegraph was the only source of fast, long-distance communication, but this changed when the telephone was invented. -
Corliss Steam Engine - George Henry Corliss
In 1849, George Henry Corliss invented the Corliss Steam Engine, which was touted as the most significant advance in the steam engine since James Watt’s designs. It used 30% less steam and also operated faster, which was ideal for manufacturing, especially cotton spinning.
