Author: Henry R. Lares

It was a time when the technological and social change happened, somewhere between mid-1700’s and mid-1800’s. The Industrial Revolution represented these changes that made the present be what we see today.

We’ve picked a few inventions that happened during the Industrial Revolution, that are now very important for our society.

Flying shuttle

This one was used through Lancashire after 1760, and it’s one of the most important inventions of the period. It was made by John Kay in 1733, and it doubled the production that a weaver could make – it allowed the workers to split.

Before this, a weaver should’ve been placed each side of a broad-cloth loom, but now, one weaver could do the job of two. Other improvements were made after, and the most important one took place in 1747. It allowed the production of textiles to develop beyond the capacity of the industry.

The Spinning Jenny

This one was another great invention that happened during the Industrial Revolution. It happened in 1764, and James Hargreaves came up with the idea. This allowed workers to spin even more wool at once. Of course, it increased the productivity of mills, and it helped in the industrialization of the textile industry. It allowed the workers to work about 8 (or even more) spools at once. During the time, that number got to 120 spools at once. By 1778, there were about 20.000 Spinning Jennys in the United Kingdom.

The Watt Steam Engine

James Watt created the steam engine in 1775. His idea of adding a separate condenser improved the efficiency of the steam engine. This would become a very popular invention and would get installed in factories and mines for all over the world.

In his original idea, he’s also integrated a crankshaft and gears – it became the model of every modern steam engine. Then other improvements happened, in all the industries everywhere. This will also lead to the invention of locomotives.

The Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney invented the cotton engine in 1794. But before this, people had to remove the cotton seeds by hand. It was hard work, and it took a lot of time. The Cotton Gin helped many farmers and made them think that cotton should be their main crop. Seeds and fibers were separated efficiently, so now it was easier for them to use the fibre to make cotton goods linen.

Telegraph communications

This one came at the end of the Industrial Revolution, and it was one of the best inventions ever created. It happened in the early 1800s, and it changed the way people communicate forever. Instant communication became possible across the country, then across the world. This helped in keeping the humans posted when it came to the geopolitical events.

Portland Cement

Joseph Aspdin was the one who, in 1824, made a chemical process in order to get Portland Cement. This one was very important, as it came in handy in the construction industry.

The process was made out of sintering a mixture of clay and limestone to 1,400-degree centigrade. Then, this mix had to be ground into a fine powder, and the mixed with gravel and sand.

After some years, Portland Cement would be used to construct the Thames Tunnel, then on the construction of the London Sewage system. Then it started to help around the world.

The modern roads

In that period, the roads were not maintained as they were supposed to be. However, John McAdam would make a new road building technique that would change the world. His roads were proven to be the biggest progression in road building ever.

Henry R. Lares

Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post.  In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.