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Jethro Tull invents the seed drill
Before the seed drill, farmers had to plant by hand. They threw seeds from a seedbag which meant disorganized distribution and inefficient use. Then when the seed drill was invented it greatly improved the speed of planting crops. It also made organized rows for the crops. It meant the farmers could grow more food and make more money. The seed drill is one of many innovations that sparked the Industrial Revolution. -
John Kay invents flying shuttle
The flying shuttle make sewing faster and more efficient. The flying shuttle revolutionized the textile industry. It made it so that clothing could be mass produced. Prior to the flying shuttle, weavers had to pass the shuttle by hand. It was a key contribution to the Industrial Revolution because it accelerated weaving and saved labor. -
James Watt builds the first steam engine
James Watt made improvements to the steam engine so that it used less fuel for more work. This meant a train or boat would burn less coal to transport goods. It also replaced the water wheel as the main source of power for factories in England. It was one of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution because it powered most of the machines that contributed to the production and transportation of goods. -
Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto
Marx and Engels published the Communist Manifesto which had little immediate effect. Marx adopted the more radical form of socialism called communism whcih called for revolution of the working class to destroy the capitalist government. Eventually the Communist Manifesto led to governments today like Russia's government and China's government -
US Civil War ends; US experiences technological boom
US was very agricultural but when the Civil War ended there was a technological boom. Primarily because of large amounts of natural resources, which included oil, coal, and iron. Some of the inventions included the light bulb and the telephone. Also, the US started setting up more factories and obtained a larger urban population, and more people consumed more goods. -
Germany becomes dominant industrial power in Europe
In 1735 Germany started to copy Britain and industrialized.Germany had large deposits of coal in the Ruhr Valley, which allowed them to mechanize almost all of their labor. Germany also built rail roads connecting their cities for example one railway connected Frankfurt to the Ruhr. Because of the amount of natural resources they had they were able to grow largely. The growth of industry in Germany lead to a strong military power in Germany. Unfortunatly the power Germany gained lead to WWII. -
British Unions win right to strike
In 1875 the British Unions won the right to protest in the form of a strike. This allowed workers to revolt against unfair working conditions. It also allowed workers to get higher wages. Striking is a non violent form of protesting most of the time. When a union strikes the workers refuse to work until the factory owner has to agree to meet their demands.
