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Steam Engine Development
About 1702 Thomas Newcomen built the first economically significant steam engine, widely used to drive pumps in the coal mines. However, that was the only way it could be used, until James Watt, in 1763, began to make improvements. By the 1780s, steams engines were used for both British use and the export trade, and after 1800 to propel river boats and other land transportation. The development of the steam engine was highly significant as it paved the way for more efficient transportation. -
Fly Shuttle
One of the first inventions in the textile industry in Britain was the fly shuttle. John Kay's invention allowed the need for only one person rather than two in order to weave cloth on a loom. This allowed for an increase in the output of weaving, and created a demand for yarn. This invention led to the demand and creation of many more inventions in the textile industry. -
Spinning Jenny/Water Frame
The spinning jenny was a kind of mechanized spinning wheel that enabled workers to increase their production of yarn. This allowed the demand for yarn, caused by the fly shuttle, to be met. These were operated by hand in workers' homes until Richard Arkwright patented the water frame, a device for the multiple spinning of many threads that was operated by water power. These inventions opened the way for other developments in the production of cotton goods. -
Spinning Mule
The multiple spindle spinning machine invented by Samuel Crompton in 1779 made it possible for spinning and weaving to be done in one machine. A single operator could work more than 1000 spindles simultaneously, and could spin and weave all kinds of materials. This invention greatly improved the textile industry as spinning and weaving didn't have to be done separately, so textile goods could be manufactured more efficiently. -
Cotton Gin
The improvements of the finishing process put a heavy strain on the production of raw cotton. In response to this, Eli Whitney produced a cotton gin, which by speeding up the removal of seeds greatly increased the output of cotton. This invention revived the plantation economy in the American South, becoming an adjunct to the Industrial Revolution in England. This invention greatly increased British imports of raw cotton and made up almost half of all British exports by 1820. -
Battery
In 1799, Alessandro Volta developed the first electrical battery, known as the Voltaic Cell. This consisted of two plates of different metals immersed in a chemical solution. This first continuous electrical current was an important step in the development of other electrical equipment, which greatly improved the manufacturing of goods and work life in general. -
Power Loom
At this time, mechanical spinning overwhelmed the hand weavers with yarn. This led to the development of the power loom which became economically practicable shortly after 1800. This invention allowed weaving as well as spinning to take place increasingly in factories, and improved the finishing process of cotton goods. This led to other inventions which increased the efficiency in the textile industry even more. -
Beginning of Electric Lamp Developments
In 1802, Sir Humphry Davy, having the most powerful battery in the world at the time, made the first incandescent light bulb. He made it in a way that he passed an electrical current through a platinum strip as a filament. The light that resulted didn't last very long and was unsuccessful. However, this development sparked the imaginations and ideas of many other inventors that also began working towards a long lasting electric lamp. -
Typewriter
The first typewriter proved to have worked was built by Pellegrino Turri in 1808. This invention opened new doors for communication and made writing letters more convenient and efficient. This invention also led to many other improvements in this area and to the typewriter itself. This encouraged more people to become educated, which is exactly what was happening at this time. -
Steam Locomotives
The invention of the steam engine created many changes and additions to the technology of the time, including steam locomotives. The first successful steam locomotive was built in 1814 by George Stevenson, and could haul up to 30 tons of coal at 4mph uphill. This success led to many other developments in the use of steam engines and locomotives throughout Europe and America, and greatly improved transportation efficiency throughout history. -
First Photograph
The earliest known surviving photograph made in a camera was taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1826-27. The photograph depicts the upstairs window of his estate in France. This photograph opened the floodgates for photography development within the following decades. People no longer had to wait days, weeks, or even months for a landscape or portrait to be made. This made it easier to document events and people, and created a new form of art throughout the many years that followed. -
Telegraph
In the 1830s, Sir William Cooke and Sir Charles Wheatstone developed a telegraph system that consisted of five magnetic needles that could be pointed around a panel of letters and numbers using an electric current. This was first used for railroad signaling, but after the invention of Morse Code and other developments, it was a successful and efficient form of long distance communication. Many were now allowed to communicate around the world which caused even more technological developments. -
Electrical Lamp Success
Since Sir Humphry Davy's successes in the early 1800s, the electrical lamp underwent many experiments regarding its filament, burning atmosphere, and casing. Finally, in the 1870s, the first electric lamp that could last more than a few hours was made. This was created by both Thomas Edison and Sir Joseph Swann, independently of each other, and used carbon filament in a vacuum. This invention created brighter, longer lasting electric lamps, which paved the way for other electrical developments.