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Even though the water frame was originally invented in ancient Egypt, in 1769 Richard Arkwright created a new model that was capable of making cotton thread. This new machine had the ability to spin 96 strands of yarn at once, and did not need any technical skills to operate. This machine, allowed manufacturers to develop high-quality and much stronger thread and yarn, compared to anything before it. This new creation helped make Britain one of the most powerful nations in the world. -
The first working steam engine was made in 1698. But in 1764, James Watt was given a model engine to repair. He noticed that it was hopelessly inefficient, and he began working to improve the design. He then made the first efficient steam engine in 1769. -
The cotton gin revolutionized the production of cotton, by immensely speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the time the mid-19th century came around, cotton had become America’s leading export. -
The first modern day battery was invented by Alessandro Volta. He stacked discs of copper and zinc separated by cloth soaked in salty water. Wires connected to either end of the stack produced a continuous stable current. This was the oldest example of a rechargeable battery. -
In 1830 Barthelemy desgined the sewing machine, which mechanized the typical hand-sewing motions to create a simple chain stitch. He planned to sell many to the French army. But, on January the 20th, 1831, around 200 tailors rioted Barthelemy’s factory, destroying over 80 sewing machines and throwing them out of the window. Barthelemy didn’t let this faze him and soon designed an even better machine. He later on died, and so a man named Elias Howe began to design a similar thing. -
The telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. The telegraph worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire that was laid between stations. Samuel Morse was the first person to send a text message through the telegraph. He sent the message from Baltimore to Washington. The very first transmission was ‘What hath God wrought’. -
Henry Bessemer developed the first process for manufacturing steel inexpensively, which led to the development of the Bessemer process. The Bessemer process reduced the cost of producing steel. Steel is lighter and stronger than iron, so it became an important material as America began to industrialize. Steel was used extensively in rails, bridges, and skyscrapers. The Bessemer process changed the steel industry and inspired further developments of the steel making industry. -
Thomas Alva Edison decided he wanted to develop an efficient incandescent (emitting light as a result of being heated) lamp. He was trying to create a high resistance system that would need less electrical power than what was used for the arc lamps. So, Thomas tested thousands of other materials to replace the filament that only burnt for a short time. Finally, Thomas tried a carbonized cotton thread filament. When voltage was applied to the completed bulb, it began to emit a soft orange glow.