THE 25 MOST IMPORTANT INVENTIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - TECHNOLOGY - 2024

The inventions of the Industrial Revolution are those artifacts or creations that were developed between 1760 and 1840, that is, during the process of economic, technological and social transformation that began in the 18th century in Great Britain and later spread throughout Anglo-Saxon America. and for western Europe.

The Industrial Revolution is considered one of the most important phenomena in the history of humanity, since it modified almost all aspects of daily life. For example, it involved multiplying agricultural production and increasing per capita income like never before.

Painting by Philip James de Loutherbourg which portrays the changes that the Industrial Revolution generated in Europe. Source: Philip James de Loutherbourg

Robert Lucas, in his Lectures on Economic Growth (2002), noted that during this historical period the standard of living of ordinary people experienced sustained growth for the first time, a phenomenon that classical economists had not even been able to deduce as a theoretical possibility..

All this was possible thanks to technological innovations, which supplanted manual labor and animal traction by complex manufacturing and transport machinery. Some of the most important inventions of this time are described below, along with their corresponding creators:

Main inventions of the Industrial Revolution

1- Steam pump

It was invented by the Englishman Thomas Savery (1650-1715) in 1698. This creation was a monumental advance within the mining industry, since before its invention groundwater was a serious problem for mining work. This was because the existing pumps did not have the necessary capacity to extract the water from those depths.

Savery's machine consisted of a very simple device: it was a tank that was connected to two pipes and a boiler. One of the pipes was connected to the water from the mine that was to be extracted and another led to the outside.

The steam pump acted as follows: first a valve had to be opened that connected the boiler with the tank; This, when completely filled with water vapor, allowed the air to escape to the outside through a non-return valve.

2- Drill drill

It was built by the English inventor and agronomist Jethro Tull (1672-1741) in 1701. It is considered that Tull was a pioneer in scientific agriculture thanks to this design, which increased the speed of crop production.

The seeder was robust and efficient; It allowed large fields to be sown and plowed using little labor. In addition, the seeds were distributed regularly, which implied a more homogeneous growth of the crops and a better use of the soils.

3- Steam engine

Devised by the English inventor and blacksmith Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) in 1705. Newcomen is known to some as the father of the Industrial Revolution, as he was a pioneering entrepreneur within the field of technological innovation.

His machine was actually an improvement on Thomas Savery's invention. In fact, they worked in a similar way: both had to create a vacuum in a reservoir and cool the water vapor. However, Newcomen's invention had a cylinder that pulled a beam, which was used as a rocker and formed a much more efficient kind of reciprocating pump.

4- Mercury thermometer

It was devised by the German engineer Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) in 1714. His invention consisted of a type of thermometer that made it possible to measure the temperatures of any selected material by means of a white reflective bulb, which prevented the absorption of radiation. present in the environment.

That is, the mercury thermometer calculates the actual air temperature without the result being affected by any other element present in the environment that radiates heat.

5- Leyden bottle (condenser)

It was devised by the German physicist Ewald Georg von Kleist (1700-1748) in 1745 and is considered to be the first electric capacitor. It is an electrical device that, by means of a glass bottle, allows to store certain electrical charges.

Its characteristics are as follows: by means of a metal rod and aluminum or tin sheets, the internal armor is formed. On the other hand, the external armor consists of a layer that covers the glass bottle. This bottle works as an insulating material between both layers of the condenser.

6- Spinning machine

Designed in 1764 by the British carpenter and weaver James Hargreaves (1720-1778). Their machine is also known as the spinning Jenny and was built to meet the demand for cotton yarn, the supply of which could not be met by single yarn spinning wheels.

Hargreaves realized that if several threads were lined up and a wheel was positioned horizontally, several threads could be spun at the same time. His invention brought him problems with traditional spinners, who claimed they would lose their jobs due to the effectiveness of the new spinner.

7- Hydraulic spinning machine

The English industrialist Richard Arwright (1732-1792) was the one who designed it in 1769. It was a type of spinning machine that was powered by a water wheel.

In addition, it consisted of a frame that allowed the simultaneous use of up to 128 spinning mechanisms, which significantly increased the quality and production of the yarn manufactured on industrial scales. Its original name was water frame.

Hydraulic spinning machine model. Source:

8- Automobile

Many consider that the first automobile was made by the Frenchman Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (1725-1804) in 1770. However, this is still in dispute. What can be affirmed is that Cugnot made several models of vehicles that were powered by steam engines and whose objective was to drag heavy guns to speed up the warfare.

9- Steamboat

It was designed by the American John Fitch in 1787. His creation was successfully tested while sailing on the Delaware River in 1787, which allowed Fitch to obtain a patent in 1791. However, his idea could only become profitable decades later. thanks to improvements made by Robert Fulton.

10- Gas turbine

Made by the British John Barber (1734-1793) in 1791. This machine allowed to increase flammable air in order to obtain movement to facilitate metallurgical work. Barber's design included a turbine, a combustion chamber, and a reciprocating gas compressor.

11- Gas lighting

The Scottish inventor William Murdoch (1754-1839) was the first to use the flammability of gas with the aim of applying it to lighting. Murdoch first managed to light his own house in 1792, then in 1798 he used gas to light some buildings in the Soho Foundry. In 1802 he made a public exhibition, surprising the local population with his lighting.

12- Cotton gin

It was devised in 1793 by Eli Whitney (1765-1825), an American inventor. It is a simple machine that quickly and easily separates the cotton fibers from their seeds, which are usually sticky.

The gin works through a screen and wire hooks that push the cotton through the screen, while small brushes remove loose threads to avoid jams.

13- Lithography

Lithography was invented by the German Johann Aloys Senefelder (1771-1834) in 1796. It is a printing procedure that allows a text, drawing or photograph to be traced on a metal plate or limestone. Currently it is almost in disuse; it is only used to obtain and duplicate artistic works.

14- Jacquard loom

It consists of a mechanical loom invented in 1801 by the Frenchman Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834). It worked by using punched cards, which allowed us to weave patterns on the fabrics. For this reason, even the most novice users could come up with the most complex designs.

Each punch card corresponded to a line in the design, and their placement together with the other cards worked to determine the weave that the tile would weave with.

15- Electric battery

It was invented by the Italian count Alessandro Volta in 1799. In general terms, it can be established that an electric battery is a commercial and industrialized format of the voltaic cell. It consists of a device capable of converting chemical energy into electrical energy through a transient chemical process.

In other words, it is a primary generator whose energy is accessible through two terminals that the battery has, called electrodes, poles or terminals.

16- Propeller thruster

It was made by the American John Stevens (1749-1838) in 1804. During his lifetime, Stevens made many steamships and developed various designs for naval engines and boilers. In 1792, the inventor obtained a patent for the creation of two propeller motors, which allowed his steamship to navigate the Hudson River using a high-pressure multi-tube boiler.

17- Printing press

The printing press was invented by the German Friedrich Koenig (1774-1833) in 1810. It was a machine that used a double cylinder with the energy provided by a steam engine. Koenig's goal was to substitute human power for the machine, which made it possible to increase the diffusion of printed texts among the less well-off sectors of the population.

18- railway line

It was devised by the British George Stephenson (1781-1848) in 1814. This mechanical engineer is considered "the father of the railways", since he designed several railway lines during its existence, such as the Liverpool-Manchester line.

It is important to add that Stephenson was not the first to build a locomotive, since in 1813 William Hedley had already developed this invention, however, Hedley's creation was not successful. Therefore, George actually must be studied as the most successful pioneer within railway inventions.

19- The bicycle

In 1816, the German researcher Karl Drais (1785-1851) developed the first two-wheeled velocipede, now known as a bicycle. It was a kind of small cart made up of a handlebar and two wheels, placed one behind the other.

It was a vehicle that, to function, required human-machine interaction. The person had to remain seated on a saddle and had to place their hands on a wooden pole that was attached to the front wheel. This rod was the one that determined the direction of the vehicle.

20- The typewriter

In 1829, the American inventor William Austin Burt (1792-1858) patented a typographer, considered by many to be the first modern typewriter.

It consisted of a mechanical device made up of a set of keys that, when pressed by the user, printed characters on a document. The person who used this machine was known by the name of a typist.

21- Sewing machine

It was devised by the French Barthélemy Thimonnier (1793-1857) in 1829. This machine was characterized by its ability to imitate hand sewing. It was made of wood and used a barbed needle, which passed through and under the fabric to catch the thread. These spikes also pulled upward in order to form a loop.

22- Dynamo (electric generator)

It consists of an electrical generator that transforms the magnetic flux into electricity through a phenomenon known as electromagnetic induction. It was devised by the British physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) in 1831.

This invention is also known as the Faraday Disc and consists of a homopolar generator that uses a copper disc, which rotates between the ends of a magnet, which generates current continuously.

23- The Roman scale

It was designed by the American Thaddeus Fairbanks (1796-1886) in 1830. This scale made it possible to weigh large targets with great precision. Before this invention, a balance beam was required to determine the weight of objects, so heavier objects could not be accurately calculated.

24- electromagnet

In 1825, the British physicist William Sturgeon (1783-1850) built the first electromagnet. In addition, he designed the first practical electric motor. The electromagnet consisted of a piece of iron that was shaped like a horseshoe and that was wrapped by a coil.

Sturgeon managed to regulate this electromagnet, which marked the beginning of the use of electrical energy in controllable and useful machines. Therefore, this invention laid the foundations for what would later become electronic communications.

25- Portland Cement

In 1824, the British Joseph Aspdin (1778-1855) manufactured Portland cement, which consisted of an artificial stone used as a construction material. It is a hydraulic binder that is mixed with aggregates, discontinuous steel fibers and water; elements have the property of forming a durable and resistant mass known as concrete.

References

1. Dietz, F. (1970) The industrial revolution. Retrieved on December 23, 2019 from books.google.com
2. Mokyr, J. (2018) The British Industrial Revolution. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from content.taylorfrancis.com
3. SA (2010) Five inventions of the Industrial Revolution that changed the world. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 Telesur: Telesur.net
4. SA (2018) Main inventions of the First Industrial Revolution. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from unprofesor.com
5. SA (sf) Inventions and inventors during the industrial revolutions, 1698-1994. Retrieved on December 22, 2019 from ocw.unican.es
6. SA (sf) Industrial Revolution. Retrieved on December 23, 2019 from es.wikipedia.org