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Top Ten Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
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James Watt
James Watt patents his version of the steam engine. He was not the one to invent the steam engine, but his engine was vastly more efficient than any other iteration at the time. The steam engine would go on to power the world for almost two centuries. Even today steam is used to generate energy. -
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin. The cotton gin was the first mechanical way to seperate cotton fibers from the seeds. This machine could process fifty pounds of cotton lint a day. What this resulted in was a boost in the textiles industry of the south, but also an increase in slavery. -
Alexandro Volta
Alexandro Volta invented the precursor to the battery, the voltaic pile. The first battery was a few small plates of copper and zinc seperated by a sheet of paper soaked in brine. At the time the only use was experimental, but now it has become completely commercialized. Batteries are found in almost every electronic device. -
George Stephenson
George Stephenson invented the steam locomotive in the year 1814. He was the first to build a locomotive that did not use animal power. He built what would be the ancestor to modern day trains. The effect of his invention is that nations could create a global trade network with trains as the medium. -
Hiram Moore
Hiram Moore invented the combine harvester. The combine dramatically increased production rates of crops such as wheat, barley, and rye. The combine is still used today in farming. The combine allowed for the farming industry to have a well needed boost in the 19th century. -
Richard March Hoe
Richard Hoe invented the rotary printing press. This particular press is extremely fast and efficient. Print is placed on a cylinder and rolled instead of being pressed on a bed. Presses like these were used well into the 20th century. The effect the press had on the world; is that it spread literature throughout the world at a lower cost and increased literacy rates. -
Alexander Parkes
Alexander Parkes invented the first man made plastic. In 1856 he created a plastic based off of a material called celluloid. The plastic was not very good but ther was potential. What he did was open the gateway for plastics and the world. The world you know today would be impossible without man made plastics. -
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization. Pasteurization is a process in which food is heated to a certain temperature then cooled rapidly. This process is used on almost all foods to prevent microbial growth. If not for this process, many food borne illnesses would still be a threat. -
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. His invention allowed communications over distance through voice, instead of code or letters. Voice communication is more natural and more efficient. His invention has evolved into the smartphones of today. -
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison invented the first practical lightbulb. His lightbulb used a carbon filament in a vacuum to provide light. His design was later improved upon with the use of tungsten filaments for longer lasting and brighter bulbs. Without the invention of the lightbulb we would still be using candles and there would be no T.V.s or phones.