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Jethro Tull: Seed Drill
Jethro Tull is the inventor of the seed drill. Created in 1701, it was a horse drawn machine that sowed the seeds in rows. it was a notable advancement over the usual practice of scattering seeds everywhere. it was originally hated but laid the basis for more modern and effective british farming. -
Abraham Darby: Better Smelting
Abraham Darby was an Ironmonger who found a better way to smelt the iron. He found out the effectiveness of coke (roasted coal), by using it instead of the widely used charcoal in his blast furnace. The use of coke was a major success and the mass production of iron items was soon to come a reality. -
Thomas Newcomen: Atmospheric Engine
Thomas newcomen was a British ironmonger who created the atmospheric engine. a 10 year experiment with a steam pump, led to its creation. it was superior to the crude pump as the intensity of pressure was not limited by the pressure of steam. The atmospheric pressure pushed the piston down after the condensation of steam had created a vacuum in the cylinder. was used to drain mines and raise water to power water wheels. it was the precursor to the steam engine -
James Hargreaves: Spinning Jenny
James Hargreaves was the creator of the Spinning Jenny, named after his daughter. Created with the idea that one individual could spin several threads at one time. It was a hand powered machine used to spin wool or cotton. it was a significant factor in the industrialization of the textile industry. -
James Watt: Steam Engine
James Watt was a scottish instrument maker and inventor of the steam engine. based on Newcomen's work, powering it off the heat given off of the changing of substances into other substances. Hot steam, supplied by a boiler, expands under pressure and a part of the heat created is converted into work. the machine was substantial in in the the development of the industrial revolution. -
Richard Arkwright: The Spinning Frame
The Spinning Frame was created by english inventor Richard Arkwright in 1769. It could spin yarn or threads, without the use of human hands, from fibres from wool and cotton. it was originally powered by a person turning a wheel which made the machine go, but later in life Richard upgraded his machine to use a water wheel to power it, calling it the water frame. -
Henry Cort: The Puddling Process
Henry Cort is an english inventor who created the puddling process. He discovered a puddling process for making wrought iron using pig iron. the process had the pig iron subjected to a great amount of heat until melted, after stirring it in a furnace. this process did not use charcoal at all and was the first method to mass produce wrought iron. It had a tremendous impact of the the iron industry and increased england's production of it -
Eli Whitney: The Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney was an american inventor who created the cotton gin. It was a machine created for the purpose of cleaning cotton and its seeds, it was created directly from demand. It pulled cotton through a set of wire teeth mounted on a revolving cylinder, the narrow slots in an iron breastwork too small to permit passage of the seed and it could be powered by people, animals, and water. it was exclusively for cotton cultivation and had the side effect of industrializing slavery. -
Alessandro Volta: The Electric Battery
Alessandro Volta was an Italian physicist who revolutionized the use of electricity, through the battery. The first battery was created from alternating disks of zinc and copper (or copper and pewter) separated by paper or cloth soaked in salt water or sodium hydroxide, it did not need to be recharged. many people were inspired by the battery and went off to do their own electric experiments, and creating the field of electrochemistry. -
Robert Fulton: steamboat
Robert Fulton is an american inventor who invented the steamboat. a watercraft with a steam engine that helps propel it through water. It was originally primarily used on the Mississippi helping develop trade in the area. The steamboat was a incredibly popular invention helping develop trade, transportation, and war. -
Elias Howe: Sewing Machine
Elias Howe was an american inventor who created the sewing machine. It was a hand cranked machine that could sew 5 times faster than the fastest hand sewers. it helped revolutionize the garment manufacturing in factories and in homes. -
Cyrus Field: Transatlantic Cable
Cyrus Field was an american inventor who created the first successful transatlantic cable. a collaboration of the Newfoundland And London Telegraph Company and the Atlantic Telegraph Company. The goal was to create a telegraph cable that crossed the atlantic ocean. After several unsuccessful attempts a successful one came in 1866 and revolutionized telegraphs and communications.