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John Kay and the Flying Shuttle
The flying shuttle greatly improved weaving. Previously, the shuttle was hand-passed through a thread by two people to make the cloths. The Flying Shuttle alternated back and forth, when the weaver pulled the thread, on its own. This greatly increased fabric production and speeds to over double a single individual. While the flying shuttle is no longer commonly used, it can still be remembered as what led to modern day weaving. Pro= Faster weaving Con= Less factory workers, more cotton demand -
Richard Arkwright and the Water Frame
The Water Frame, invented by Arkwright and based on others' inventions, powered the spinning frame. This created alternative power for the spinning frame, which then increased the spinning of threads. While this invention is not as active today, it led to the creation of more efficient mills and modern factories. A pro of this invention is increased factory automation, while a con is decreased amounts of jobs. -
James Hargreaves and the Spinning jenny
The Spinning jenny, invented by James Hargreaves, was a multi-spindle spinning frame to spin wool or cotton into cloth faster. It made it possible to spin multiple threads at once- which greatly increased efficiency in spinning threads, which by effect made more clothing. While it has been replaced by more modern weaving machines, it made an impact on modern technologies. A positive thing about this invention was faster production. However, a downside was lost jobs and coarser threads. -
Samuel Crompton and the Spinning Mule
The Spinning Mule, invented by Samuel Crompton, was a combination of the Water Frame and the Spinning jenny. This allowed for faster and even more automated factories to create threads for clothing- which would be made into fabrics. A pro of this invention was increased automation in fabric making- the 2 best inventions for weaving were combined into a fully automatic machine. A con of this was increased factories and decreased jobs- with automation comes a decrease in workforce. -
James Watt and the Steam Engine
James Watt was not the primary inventor of the steam engine. Rather, he was the one who improved the steam engine to be more efficient and require less coal to power it. He later developed the Steam locomotive, and became very successful in his endeavors. He finally had a successful engine and financial backing. Patented locomotive 1784. -
Richard Trevithick and the Steam Locomotive
Richard Trevithich began working at a young age in a mine, with little literacy skills yet complex problem-solving skills. He became a locomotive engineer, starting out with steam engine innovations in the mine. He later invented the railway locomotive in 1803. -
Robert Fulton and the Steamboat
Robert Fulton was born in Pennsylvania, later moving to England. He set out his life as a portrait painter, but developed a large interest for the steam engine. Shortly afterwards, he began canal and shipbuilding, contemplating steampower on ships. He was later credited wit the invention of the first successful commercial steamboat in 1807, the Clermont. -
George Stephenson and the Public Railway System
George Stephenson had a knowledge of old steam engines in mines. After this work, he was hired as an engineer for the first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington railway- and then another public railway. Shortly afterwards (1829), the railway owners opened a competition to the public to make a fast locomotive. Stephenson made his famous locomotive, The Rocket, and won the competiotion at record speed. -
Henry Bessemer and the Bessemer Process
Before perfecting the Bessemer Process, Henry Bessemer was an inventor and an engineer- he improved many processes and created many machines. Later on, he became devoted to metallurgy. In his time, there were only the materials cast iron and wrought iron. Making steel was possible, but only by a slow method for tools. He later invented the Bessemer Process, and improved it again later, to make steel more quickly. -
Louis Pasteur and Pasteurization
Louis Pasteur created the process known as Pasteurization to improve the quality of drinks- he heated them for a period of time do kill off certain disease- spreading bacteria. -
Thomas Edison and the Lightbulb
Thomas Edison, most widely known as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb, singly or jointly held 1,093 patents. As a child, Edison received very little formal education and left school at age 12 to work on a railroad nearby his home. During the Civil War he worked with the developing telegraph, later quitting to invent due to hearing problems. He later finished the light bulb with breakthroughs in 1878 and 1879. -
Nikola Tesla and Electric Power/ the Alternating Current
Nikola Tesla is best known for his work with the Alternating Current- or AC- motor. He came up with the idea for AC in power systems, which occasionally alternated direction of which it is moving.
