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Abraham Darby
Developed the coke burning blast furnace that made it possible to produce commercial grade iron cost-effectively. Contributed to the development of the iron and steel industries. -
Thomas Newcomen
An English inventor who created the atmospheric engine, the first practical fuel-burning engine in 1712.It became an important method of draining water from deep mines and was therefore a vital component in the Industrial Revolution in Britain. -
John Kay
English machinist and engineer, inventor of the flying shuttle, which was an important step toward automatic weaving. -
Richard Arkwright
English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. Arkwright's achievement was to combine power, machinery, semi-skilled labour and the new raw material of cotton to create mass-produced yarn. -
James Watt
Inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements in steam engine technology drove the Industrial Revolution.He made important changes to the design, increasing efficiency and making steam engines cheaper to run. -
Adam Smith
He was the most important thinker behind the idea of laissez-faire economics. Smith was also an advocate of the idea of division of labor -
Samuel Crompton
English inventor and pioneer of the spinning industry. Building on the work of James Hargreaves and Richard Arkwright he invented the spinning mule. -
Edmund Cartwright
artwright was a prolific inventor. He patented a wool-combing machine in 1789 and a steam engine that used alcohol, as well as a machine for making rope, in 1797. He even helped the American, Robert Fulton, with his steamboat inventions -
Eli Whitney
An American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South. -
Robert Fulton
He invented the first steamboat, It used steam power to travel upstream. Steamboats were soon used to transport people and goods along rivers throughout the country. -
Elias Howe
Elias Howe Jr. was an American inventor best known for his creation of the modern lockstitch sewing machine.His invention helped the mass production of sewing machines and clothing. That in turn revolutionized the sewing industry and freed women from some of the drudgery of daily life at the time. -
John Wesley
Wesley always maintained that he personally adhered to the Church of England. Methodism had a significant impact on English society. It brought religion to masses of people who, through the shifts of population brought about by the industrial revolution, were not being reached by the Anglican Church.
