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Abraham Darby
In 1709, he produced market iron in a coke fire furnace. He also demonstrated the superiority of coke in cost and efficiency by building much larger furnaces than were only possible with charcoal as the fuel source. -
Thomas Newcomen
People used Thomas's steam engine to drain mines and raise water to power waterwheels. -
Jethro Tull
He developed a horse-drawn hoe and successfully adopted the vineyard method to his farm. The New Horse Houghing Husbandry: Or an Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation. The method was rejected at first, but became the basis for a more modern and efficient British farming. -
John Kay
He was the inventor of the flying shuttle. The flying shuttle helped speed up and even automate weaving. -
John Roebuck
introduced the leaden condensing chambers in the manufacture of sulfuric acid. This revolutionized the production process and drastically reduced costs. -
James Hargreaves
Invented the spinning jenny. The spinning jenny was a significant factor in the industrialization of the textile industry. -
James Watt
He invented a better, less wasteful version of the engine that Newcomen made. Watt called it “A New Invented Method of Lessening the Consumption of Steam and Fuel in Fire Engines.” -
John Wesley
He created several thousand hymns that gave praise to God. Some examples are “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” and “Christ the Lord Is Ris’n Today.” -
Edmund Cartwright
He created the wool-combing machine in 1789. While it lowered manufacturing costs, it did not benefit Cartwright financially. He eventually received £10,000 in recognition of his power loom. -
Eli Whitney
He invented the cotton gin, which led to greatly increased production of the short-staple cotton grown in much of the South. -
Alessandro Volta
Invented the electric battery in 1800. The battery consisted of alternating disks of zinc and silver (or copper and pewter) separated by paper or cloth soaked either in salt water or sodium hydroxide. this provides a continuous electrical current to power a light, fan, or freezer. -
Cyrus Field
Interested in a proposal to lay a transatlantic telegraph cable that would allow people to communicate easier. He was also one of the founders of the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company.