Industrial Revolution Inventions that Changed the World

The period between the mid 1700's and mid 1800's was one of great technological and social
change. Here are some of the inventions of the industrial revolution that changed the world
forever. The Industrial Revolution was a period of rapid social and technological change that
have shaped the world we live in today. It was a period of great innovation and many of the
items we see today were inventions of the Industrial Revolution. The following 27 inventions are
a hand-picked selection of some of the most important inventions of the period as well as some
of the lesser-known ones. They range from innovations within the textile industry to the iron
industry and consumer goods of the later Industrial Revolution. We have limited our time period
between the mid-1700s and 1840 which is commonly agreed to be the period of time for the
Industrial Revolution.
1. Flying shuttle or weaving made easy: This great example was widely used throughout
Lancashire after 1760 and was one of the key developments of the period. It was patented
in 1733 by John Kay, and its implementation effectively doubled the output a weaver
could make, thereby allowing the workforce to effectively be halved. Prior to this
invention, a weaver was required on each side of a broad-cloth loom, now one weaver
alone could do the job of two. Several subsequent improvements were made to it over the
years with an important one in 1747. Its impact was incredibly significant, effectively
allowing the production of textiles beyond the capacity of the rest of the industry. It
arguably prompted further industrialization throughout the textile and other industries to
keep up.
2. The Spinning Jenny increased wool mills productivity: The Spinning Jenny was
another example of great inventions of the Industrial Revolution. It was developed by
James Hargreaves who patented his idea in 1764. The Spinning Jenny was
groundbreaking during its time and one that would help change the world forever. It
allowed workers to spin more wool at any one time. This vastly increased mills
productivity and, along with the Flying Shuttle, helped force further industrialization of
the textile industry in the United Kingdom. It allowed for a massive reduction in the work
needed to produce a piece of cloth and allowed for a worker to work eight or more spools
at a time. With further refinement, this increased to 120 spools over time. It has long been
credited as the main driver for the development of a modern factory system.
3. The Watt Steam Engine, the engine that changed the world: When James Watt
created the first reliable steam engine in 1775 his invention would literally change the
world. His innovation blew the older less efficient models, like the Newcomen engine,
out of the water. James' innovation of adding a separate condenser significantly improved
steam engine efficiency, especially latent heat losses. His new engine would prove very
popular and would wind up installed in mines and factories across the world. It was hands
down, one of the greatest inventions of the Industrial Revolution. His version also
integrated a crankshaft and gears and it became the prototype for all modern steam
engines. It would eventually lead to incredible improvements in almost all industries,
including the textile industry, across the world. Steam engines would also lead to the
development of locomotives and massive leaps forward in ship propulsion.
4. The Cotton Gin: the engine that made cotton production boom: Eli Whitney is
another name synonymous with inventions of the Industrial Revolution. He invented the
cotton engine, gin for short, in 1794. Prior to its introduction into the textile industry,
cotton seeds needed to be removed from fibers by hand. This was laborious and time-

1
 consuming, to say the least. This machine vastly improved the profitability of cotton for
farmers. The Cotton Gin enabled many more farmers to consider cotton as their main
crop. This was especially important for farmers and plantation owners in the Americas.
With the seeds and fibers separated more efficiently it became much easier for farmers to
use the fibres to make cotton goods like linen. They could also simultaneously separate
seeds for more crop growth or the production of cottonseed oil.
5. Telegraph communications, a pillar of the Industrial Revolution: Coming in at the
tail end of the Industrial Revolution, the Telegraph was one another of the greatest
inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Created in the early 1800's it would change
communication forever. Thanks to this technology, near-instant communication became
possible initially across the country and eventually across the globe. This enabled people
to stay in contact and become aware of wider geopolitical events much more easily. The
first true electrical telegraphs finally superseded optical semaphore telegraph systems to
become the world's first electrical form of telecommunications. In only a matter of
decades, the electrical telegraph became the de facto means of communication for
business and private citizens long distance.
6. The modern roads by John McAdam: Before the Industrial Revolution, the quality of
Britain's roads was less than great. At the time France was known to have the best quality
ones in the world. Many British roads were poorly maintained and poor quality. During
the 1700s turnpike trusts were set up to charge tolls in an attempt to improve maintenance
and the general quality of the country's transport system. By 1750 almost every main road
in England and Wales was the responsibility of a turnpike trust. John McAdam would
eventually develop a new road-building technique that would revolutionize road
construction forever. His 'macadamized' roads would prove to be the biggest
advancement in road building since the Roman Empire thousands of years before.
7. The Bessemer process that changed steel: The Bessemer Process was the world's first
inexpensive process for mass production of steel from molten pig iron. This would also
prove to be one of the greatest inventions of the Industrial Revolution. It is noted for its
removal of impurities from the iron via oxidation as air is blown through the molten
metal. Oxidation also helps raise the temperature of the iron mass to keep it molten for
longer. The process is named after its inventor Henry Bessemer who patented the
technique in 1856. The ability to mass-produce high-quality steel and iron allowed a
literal boom in the use of them in many other aspects of the revolution. Iron and steel
suddenly became essential materials and would be used to make almost everything from
appliances to tools, machines, ships, buildings, and infrastructure.
8. The Locomotive revolution: The invention of the steam engine would eventually lead to
a revolution in transportation around the globe. Locomotives allowed large-scale
movement of resources and people over long distances. Previously the industry relied on
man- and animal-powered wagons and carts. These were common all over Europe and
were especially commonly associated with mining and agriculture.
9. The first factory opened by Lombe: One of, if not the first documented factory was
opened by John Lombe in Derby around 1721. Lombe's factory used water power to help
the factory mass produce silk products. The factory was built on an island on the River
Derwent in the English county of Derby. The idea for the factory came to Lombe after he
had toured Italy looking at silk throwing machines. On his return to the UK, he employed
the services of the architect George Sorocold to design and build his new "Factory". Once

2
 completed the mill, at its height, employed around 300 people. On its completion it was
the first successful silk throwing mill in England and, it is believed, the first fully
mechanized factory in the world.
10. The Power Loom, overtaking all UK factories: The invention of the Power Loom
effectively increased the output of a worker by over a factor of 40. It was one of the most
important inventions of the Industrial Revolution. It was introduced in 1874 by Edmund
Cartwright who built the very first working machine in 1785. Over the next 47 years, the
Power Loom was refined until it was made completely automated by Kenworthy and
Bullough.
11. Arkwright's Water Frame spinning machine: Richard Arkwright was a barber and wig
maker who managed to devise a machine that could spin cotton fibers into yarn or thread
very quickly and easily. In 1760 he and John Kay managed to produce a working
machine. This prototype could spin four strands of cotton at the same time. He would
later patent his design in 1769. Further refinement of his design would ultimately allow
the machine to spin 100's of strands at one time. The spinning machine would go on to be
installed in mills around Derbyshire and Lancashire where they were powered by
waterwheels hence they were called water frames. Arkwright's machines alleviated the
need for highly skills operators adding significant cost savings to mills that installed
them.
12. The Spinning Mule: the yarn game-changer: The Spinning Mule combines features of
two earlier Industrial Revolution inventions: the Spinning Jenny and above-mentioned
Water Frame. The Mule managed to produce a strong, fine and soft yarn that could be
used in many kinds of textiles. It was, however, best suited for the production of muslins.
The Mule was devised by Samuel Crompton in 1775 who was a too poor to actually
patent his invention and so sold it to a Bolton manufacturer. The very first Mules were
hand-operated but by the 1790s larger versions were driven by steam engines. These
larger machines had as many as 400 spindles.
13. The Tin Can, jumping to new production heights: The humble tin can was patented by
a British merchant Peter Durand in 1810. It would have an incalculable impact on food
preservation and transportation right up to the present day. John Hall and Bryan Dorkin
would open the very first commercial canning factory in England in 1813. In 1846, Henry
Evans invented the machine that can manufacture tin cans at a rate of sixty per hour. This
was a significant increase over the previous rate of only six per hour. The very first tin
cans had very thick walls and needed to be opened using a hammer. Over time they
became thinner enabling the later invention of a dedicated can opener in 1858. It took the
American Civil War to inspire the creation of tin cans with a key can opener as can still
be found on sardine cans.
14. The Dynamo powered by the Faraday principle: Here's another great invention of the
Industrial Revolution. The basic principles of electromagnetic generators were discovered
in the early 1830s by Michael Faraday. Faraday noted that the electromotive force is
generated when an electrical conductor encircles a varying magnetic flux. This would
later become known as Faraday's Law.
15.