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Steam Engine
Beginning in 1763, James Watt began improving the steam engine. This was extremely important because it allowed manufacturing machinery, tractors and trains to be powered and was one of the most important advancements throughout the Industrial Revolution. -
The Spinning Jenny
The spinning jenny is a multi-spindle spinning frame. This invention was very significant because it quickened and easied the process of making yarn. -
Electric Telegraph
Georges-Louis Le Sage created one of the earliest known electric telegraphs. It was very small, only have the range of 2 rooms in his house, it was the beginning of an era and was extremly important. -
Threshing Machine
Andrew Meikle invented the threshing machine. It was horse powered and greatly improved agricultural productivity; it separated grains so that people didn’t have to separate grains by hand anymore. This was significant because it saved a lot of time for laborers, especially after people found ways to power it with steam. -
Steamboat
John Fitch made the first functioning steamboat in 1787. This step led the way for many others to follow Fitch's path, eventually leading to the creation of ocean-crossing steamships. -
Sewing Maching
In 1790, the first whole sewing machine was patented. This was significant because it made sewing easier by having it done mechanically instead of by hand. -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin is a simple device that quickly seperates cotton from its seeds. This was a huge advancement in plantations and caused a boom in the United States cotton industry and slave population. -
Railroad Steam Locomotive
Richard Trevithick created the first succesful railroad steam locomotive. This was significant because it was one of the first traces of trains during the Industrial Revolution, and led the way for many advancements in the field. -
Davy Lamp
The davy lamp was a mining lamp used in flammable conditions, such as the coal mines, and it reduced the danger of explosions due to methane and flammable gases.This invention saved many lives in the mines and was very useful in the field. -
American Typewriter
William Austin Burt pattented the Typographer, and it was the first typewriter in the United States. This was significant because it made consistent letter marks on a consistent physical paper structure and improved writing. -
Bicycle
Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the bicycle and it allowed a person to puch pedals to transport themselves. This was significant because it was quicker than walking and was availible to lower classes instead of royalty. -
Indoor Plumbing
Even though plumbing was around in the homes of the royals in the early 1600's, it wasn't til mid-1800's that indoor plumbing was starting to show up in some middle class homes. This was significant because indoor plumbing helped greatly increase the sanitation of cities. -
Public Railways
In Britain during the 1840's, public railways were scattered slightly and began popping up more often. This was significant because railways are a very important form of transportation in Britain, even today, and were a huge advancement during the Industrial Revolution. -
Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
The cable was completly laid in 1858 and it functioned transatlantically for 3 weeks. This was significant beacuase it used to take weeks for ships to transport messages and then only took a matter of minutes. -
Dynamite
Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1867, . It was very significant in mining and building railways through obstacles. -
Light Bulb
Thomas Edison produced the light bulb in 1879, the first long lasting electric source of light. This was important because it made it possible and easier to work once the sun went down. -
Automobile
Karl Benz invented the Bez Patent-Motorwagen in 1886, and is credited as the birth of the automobile. This was significant because it replaced the horse-drawn carriage and cars are a huge part of society today, -
Radar
German physicist Heinrich Hertz invented the radar, which uses radio waves to determine different properties of certain objects, such as speed, direction, altitude, and range. This is significant because it's an important part of society today, the radar is used by militaries as an important tool to detect ships. -
A.C. Motor
In 1888, Nikola Tesla created the first A.C. electric motor, after inventing the alternate current in years prior. This was significant because is used in a lot of electricly powered motors, back then and today. -
Motion Picture Camera
Frenchman Louis Le Prince patented the first film camera. This was significant becuase it was the very beginning of an entire era of moving pictures and new forms of entertainment.