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1733 John Kay invents flying shuttle
John Kay was a machinist who invented the flying shuttle, a shuttle that sped back and forth on wheels. His invention doubled the productivity for weavers. -
1765 James Watt builds the first steam engine
James Watt was a mathematical instrument maker at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.He created a steam engine that would burn on less fuel and work faster and more efficiently. James Watt joined up with an entrepeneur named Matthew Boulton and paid him a salary and in return Matthew built better engines. -
1848 Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto
Marx and Engles, who had a father that owned a textile mill in Manchester used thier ideas to write a pamphlet called the Communist Manifesto. This pamphlet included their belief that people have always been divided into different, social classes. These two social classes incude the "haves" or the bourgeoisie and the "have nots" called the proletariat. The bourgeoisie were made up of employers and the proletariat were made up of the laborers and workers. -
1865 US Civil War ends; US experiences technological boom
The technological boom was caused by an abundance of natural resources, an increase in inventions, and a growing urban population that purchased the new manufactured goods. Railroads were also very important in America's industrialization because they became a profitable business and cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis grew swiftly because of their location on the railroad lines. -
1875 British Unions win right to strike
Laborers that faced unfair working conditions joined together to form unions or voluntary labor associations. Unions negotiated with workers and their employers and if the employers did not agree with giving their employees better working conditions and higher wages than the union members would go on strike. Many unions joined together to form the American Federation of Labor and after a series of successful strikes, the members won better pay and shorter working hours. -
1701 Jethro Tull invents the seed drill
Jethro Tull thought the usual way of sowing seed which was, scattering it across the ground was wasteful since many of the seeds didn't start growing. He was a scientific farmer who invented the seed drill which allowed farmers to sow seeds in spaced out rows at certain depths. Due to his invention, many seeds grew and the yeild was much more bountiful. -
1870s Germany becomes dominant industrial power in Europe
Althought Germany was undergoeing economic isolation and it's resources were located in many different areas, industrialization began. Germany copied the British model and imported British engineers and equipment. The Germans sent their children to England to learn industrial managemet. The Germans began building railroads which joined manufacturing cities with mines rich in iron and coal deposits. In their efforts, Germany gained economic strength and military power.
