Industrial Revolution Inventions

By AlanaRMc

  • Jethro Tull

    Invented the horse-drawn seed drill. His method was much more effective than scattering by hand because it sowed the seeds in neat rows.

  • Thomas Newcomen

    British engineer and inventor of the atmospheric steam engine. The atmospheric steam engine operated from the steam of burning coal, and was used to pump water from mines in England.

  • James Watt

    Improved upon Newcomen's steam engine, and created a new model that was more efficient, and retained more heat.

  • Richard Arkwright

    Inventor of the water frame, which was a spinning machine powered by water that produced cotton yarn suitable for warp.

  • James Hargreaves

    English inventor of the spinning jenny, which was a hand-powered, multiple-spindle machine for spinning wool or cotton

  • Samuel Crompton

    British inventor of the spinning mule, which permitted large-scale manufacture of high-quality thread for the textile industry. His machine allowed a single operator to to work more than 1,000 spindles,and could spin fine and coarse yarn.

  • Edmund Cartwright

    English inventor of the first wool-combing machine, which separated the shorter fibers in order to make it suitable for spinning.

  • Eli Whitney

    Inventor and mechanical engineer best known for inventing the cotton gin. The cotton gin was used to clean green-seed cotton which was very difficult by hand.

  • Alessandro Volta

    Italian chemist and physicist who invented the electric battery. His version of the electric battery provided the first source of continuous current that did not need to be recharged

  • George Stephenson

    English engineer and inventor of the railroad locomotive. The railroad locomotive was steam engine powered and carried goods along wooden tracks.

  • Elias Howe

    Inventor of the first lockstitch sewing machine. The sewing machine was used for stitching material such as cloth or leather together using a needle and shuttle to carry a thread.

  • Cyrus Field

    Founder of the Transatlantic Telegraph Company,and was noted for his success of laying the first transatlantic cable. The transatlantic cable was used to send messages of Morse Code from the United States to Europe.