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His invention consisted of a double pointed needle with an eye at one end. In 1790, the English inventor Thomas Saint invented the first sewing machine design, but he did not successfully advertise or market his invention. His machine was meant to be used on leather and canvas material.
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Robert Owen bought a share in the New Lanark cotton mills in Scotland in 1800 and managed them for the next 25 years. Owen disagreed with the widespread attitude among factory owners that workers had to be paid low wages and treated poorly to ensure the biggest profits. He stopped employing children under 10 in his factories, provided schooling for the younger children and limited the working hours for children over 10 so they could also attend school.
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Edwin Chadwick's Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain in 1842 highlighted the need to improve the living conditions of the poor in major towns and cities.
