Industrial Revolution Inventors

  • Thomas Newcomen

    Thomas Newcomen
    Thomas Newcomen invented the atmospheric steam engine. This engine was used to create power from atmospheric pressure. It was first used to pump water.
  • John Kay

    John Kay
    John Kay invented the flying shuttle. This machine was vital in the eventual development of automatic weaving. It made weaving much quicker and improved upon the textile industry.
  • John Roebuck

    John Roebuck
    John Roebuck invented a way to produce sulfuric acid in a more cost efficient way. Sulfuric acid was highly desired and was used as a clothing dye.
  • James Hargreaves

    James Hargreaves
    James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny, a machine that allowed multiple threads to be spun at once. This helped a lot in the industrialization of the textile industry.
  • James Watt

    James Watt
    James Watt invented the steam engine, a machine that could provide power to places such as flour mills and and paper mills. Productivity was increased in those places.
  • Samuel Crompton

    Samuel Crompton
    Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule. This machine quickly spun yarn, and was used in the textile industry for nearly 200 years.
  • Nicolas LeBlanc

    Nicolas LeBlanc
    Nicolas LeBlanc came up with the LeBlanc soda process, which manufactured alkali on a large scale. This was helpful in the demand for alkali in things such as soap and glass.
  • Eli Whitney

    Eli Whitney
    Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine that cleans cotton and saves hours of manual work.This machine greatly increased the productivity of cotton as it was used in much of southern America.
  • Robert Fulton

    Robert Fulton
    Robert Fulton created the first commercial steamboat service. His steamboat service was used to travel the major waterways on the east coast of the United States
  • George Stephenson

    George Stephenson
    George Stephenson invented the steam locomotive. The steam locomotive was used on railways and was a way for goods to be transported faster.
  • Karl Marx

    Karl Marx
    Karl Marx is responsible for developing the idea of Communism. Communism is a system that aims to create a classless society by having all property be publicly owned and money is distributed to citizens based on need and ability.
  • Cyrus Field

    Cyrus Field
    Cyrus Field is responsible for laying the first transatlantic telegraph cable. This established communications across the Atlantic ocean.