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Smelting of iron
By burning coal in a vacuum-like environment, the English Abraham Darby already knew they could cook off impurities, leaving behind coke, the high carbon portion of coal, he put iron ore and coke in a blast furnace and then pushed air into the furnace. -
First bridge made of cast iron
The use of molds allowed more consistency in iron parts and increased production of iron components, the first bridge made of cast iron constructed near Coalbrookdale. -
Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution to mainland Europe
In the early's 1800s, the first manufacturing belts in continental Europe were located next to coal fields and connected by water to a port so that raw materials could be imported from the Americas and Asia and finished products could be exported. -
First crossing of the Atlantic by a steam-powered vessel
The steam engine made its mark on sea transportation, as the first steam-powered vessel crossed the Atlantic Ocean, shrinking the time it took to travel across seas and also enabling shipbuilders to design large vessels that could transport more goods. -
Connection of Manchester to the rail network
The first commercial railway connected Manchester, a center of textile manufacture along 35 miles of track to Liverpool, transporting cotton and tobacco. -
Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution to East Asia
After Japan opened its economy after a change in government policies, they began industrializing with its military sector and encouraged Japanese men to study sciences in universities abroad so they could bring back their knowledge and create industries, however, with limited natural resources Japan depended on raw materials imported from other countries. -
Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution to North America
By the beginning of the 20th century, manufacturing in North America began in New England during the colonial period, however, it was not especially rich in mineral sources but North America benefited from the ability of its companies to acquire needed raw material from overseas sources. -
Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution to Russia/Ukraine
After World War I, the newly formed Societ Union and next Ukraine took advantage of its rich resources and industrial potential, especially in the coal-rich Donbas region to become an Industrial Power. -
Emergence of Fordist production
Henry Ford idea that the dominant mass production endured from 1945 to 1970, allowed the inexpensive production of consumer goods at a single site on a previously unknown scale, the Ford assembly line machines replaced people, and unskilled workers instead of craftsmen worked in assembly lines.