Industrial Revolution Inventors

  • Abraham Darby

    He furthered the production of iron. Darby developed a method of producing pig iron in a blast furnace fueled by coke rather than charcoal.
  • Thomas Newcomen

    He is the inventor of the at atmospheric steam engine. What it did: atmospheric pressure pushed the piston down after the condensation of steam.
  • John Kay

    Kay invented the flying shuttle. What it did: it allowed a single weaver to weave much wider fabrics.
  • James Hargreaves

    He invented the Spinning Jenny. What it did: spinning frame, and was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution.
  • Richard Arkwright

    Arkwright invented the water frame. What it did: water-powered spinning frame which was an easy way to create cotton thread.
  • Adam Smith

    He achieved the first comprehensive system of political economy. What it did: A book about it proposed that a nation’s wealth should be judged by the total of its production and commerce.
  • James Wyatt

    He created the photocopier. What it does: the press copies a written document by pressure onto a thin piece of paper, and there was a reverse copy on the back.
  • Edmund Cartwright

    Cartwright invented the power loom. What it did: mechanical loom powered by a line shaft, and it's main purpose was for weaving.
  • Nicolas LeBlanc

    LeBlanc was a chemist who discovered how to manufacture soda from common salt. It was called the LeBlanc Process, it helped to make soap and glass.
  • Eli Whitney

    He invented the Cotton Gin. What it did: quickly and easily separated cotton and its seeds allowing for faster productivity.
  • Elias Howe

    Howe invented the sewing machine. What it did: used for fixing clothes t factories and production lines, and used for making clothes and blankets.
  • Cyrus Field

    Field invented the first telegraph cable. What it does: an undersea cable running under the Atlantic Ocean used for telegraph communications.