-
The refining of the Steam Engine
The steam engine had been a practically unused invention for many years before it was reinvigorated by James Watt. He was the first person to use coal to power a moving part in a practical way. Similar pumps had existed before, but Watt's steam engine reshaped the very purpose of such a device. It led steam powered machines during the industrial revolution and the invention of the steam train. -
The first European factory was founded
Britain and America were the first two regions to truly be industrialised. The first factory founded in mainland Europe was John Lombe's silk mill which was filled with various machines to turn pure silk into thread for cloth. It is believed the machines inside were copied from designs in Italy though it was the first functioning factory. -
Flying Shuttle
The flying shuttle changed the weaving process drastically by catching the thread automatically and preparing it for being thrown the other way quickly. It meant that people didn't have to do all the fiddliest bits of the manufacturing process. It was far more useful than a standard shuttle which took more time for throwing back. -
The Agricultural Revolution
The agricultural revolution was an ongoing process where new processed were used to increase the productivity of farming with less effort. This helped with the growing population in the city by having more food to be exported while there was less people to work the farms. It also helped produce plant products for textiles work. This process took about a century to complete but started shortly before the textile industries industrialisation. -
Beginning of the Industrial revolution
The industrial revolution began with the complete reimagining of the textiles industry. New machines and methods meant that the work of large groups could be replaced by one person and a machine. Hydro-power (power from water) was used instead of manual labour but one person was still required to run most of the machines. This unfortunately meant that small cottage spinners lost their income as factories were cheaper and quicker. -
Period: to
The Industrial revolution
The Industrial revolution was a period of time in which all of history was drastically altered. It completely redesigned the way people worked, the way they lived and the effects of it can still be felt today. It was in this time that mass-production was invented. Designs with interchangable parts were used for quick repairs. Cities grew and work out in the country becam almost solely farming. Pollution increased and transportation became quick and widespread because of the steam engine. -
The Spinning Jenny
The spinning Jenny was one of the first inventions of the industrial revolution.It was invented by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, England. It completely revolutionised the textiles industry by making eight spools of yarn at once when it was first invented but is said to have made as many as one hundred and twenty later on in the industrial revolution. -
Period: to
American Independence and Revolutionary War
(Specific date of start unknown)
America was a country that like Australia was colonised by the British. Unlike Australia, it rebelled against its British ruler. They argued that America was not properly represented in parliament and later that taxes such as the stamp tax were ridiculous and though taxes were withdrawn, the colonists weren't happy.Eventually, Massachusetts and then the other states were declared rebellious and the usual boycotts and protests turned into a war against the British -
'Terra Nullius'
James Cook was the man to officially discover Australia. His purpose was to sail to Tahiti aboard the HMS Endeavour to track the course of Venus. He decided to take a detour on his way back to Britain to look for the centuries old Great South land. Cook did in fact rediscover the Great South land. He renamed the east coast New South Wales during a ceremony in Botany Bay. He dubbed the land Terra Nullius, unowned land. Little did Cook know, the land had been inhabited for millenia. -
Period: to
Power Mill
The power mill was one of the first machines that used water to power it rather than relying on a human to power it by themselves. It worked by using flowing water from a river to turn a wheel and then a series of gears so that the energy could be transferred to the machine itself. It meant that work did not slow until it was stopped and more could be done in a short period of time. The exact date of it's invention is unknown. -
Period: to
Abolition of Slavery and the American Civil war
After the revolutionary war, many Americans began questioning the morality of slavery. It was merely a political matter for those who were colonials, but the northern states decided it should not be legal. Unfortunately the cotton gin had been invented and the cotton industry was the souths main export so they relied on slavery. This led to a feud between the north and south as congress was balanced between them. The south eventually seperated itself from the north as 'the Confederacy'. -
Period: to
Abolition of Slavery and the American Civil war (continued)
The south eventually seperated itself from the north as the Confederacy while the north became the Union. When the Union thought they may be overthrown in congress they started the civil war. They captured and freed slaves as the took over Confederate territory. Abraham Lincoln created the first way for former slaves to join the military, the United States Coloured Troops. With the help of the USCT which was a great advancement of integration at the time, the Union won and slavery was abolished. -
Power Loom
The power loom was a new kind of loom invented by Edmund Cartwright that was entirely mechanical. It no longer needed a human to operate it, only to maintain it. This meant that many people lost the few jobs left related to weaving in many factories. It wasa the fastest method of weacing at that point and still the textiles industry was growing. -
The first fleet
On the 13th of May 1787, eleven ships consisting of two naval ships, six ships carrying convicts and three ships carrying supplies left Portsmouth, England to start a Penal colony in 'New South Wales'. The fleet stopped twice over the two hundred and fifty two day trip, first at Rio De Janeiro and the second time at the Cape of Good hope in South Africa. -
Settlement of Sydney
Sydney was settled as a penal colony in 1787 after the first fleet arrived. It stopped at Botany bay but the area was deemed unsuitable so they traveled further along the coast until they found what is now called, Sydney cove. The area was first called Albion cove but was renamed after Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney (later Viscount Sydney). Sydney was a struggle to maintain as food was scarce and the land was hard to farm. Things improved after the second and third fleets arrived with supplies. -
Period: to
Effects of Sydney
(Approximate end date^)
After Sydney was settled by the British, many Aborigines became infected with smallpox. There are many theories about how this happened and some think it was an attempt to kill them The journal of Watkin Trench says that a group of Aborigines were seen disturbing the grave of a French sailor who died and Watkin claims that the disease spread from there. Other theories state that physicians brought over contaminated bottles for inoculation, and they may have been the cause -
The Seed Drill
The seed drill is an agricultural machine invented by Jeffro Tull to evenly spread seeds when planting. This allowed crops to grow in better conditions without having to maunally plant and cover each seed. It saved farmers time which could be devoted towards other things. The new found efficiency put agriculture ahead by years and helped to feed the growing population. -
The Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was an invention mad by Eli Whitney, a man who contributed multiple times to the industrialisation of the textiles industry. The cotton gin seperates cotton from the shell, a process that was usually tedious but could finsihed quickly and efficiently. This led to increased slavery in the south of America because of the increasing numbers of cotton fields as it became the major export of many southern states.
(Precise date unknown but known to be in May) -
Luddite revolution
The Luddites were a group of farmers and artisans whose jobs were threatened by the industrialisation of the textiles and agriculture industries. They revolted and protested, destroying machinery and factories. They had lost their jobs and incomes because of the new factories that could mass produce cloth and made farming more efficient. The Luddites eventually were 'defeated' in 1813 which was probably a positive for both the textiles and agriculture industries as they would not have grown. -
The Beginning of the Potato Famine
The Great Potato famine was a tragic part of history in Ireland. Potatoes were the main source of food for many lower class people at the time and almost 25% of the lower class population emigrated or died because of the famine. It was caused by a disease called the potato blight killed off all the crops that people needed desperately to survive. -
Federation of Australia
Prior to its federation Australia was a series of six colonies that were partly self-governed whilst still being controlled by the British. It became it's own nation on the first day of the first month of 1901. This date was probably chosen for symbolism of a new start. It was a far calmer resolution than the American revolution and finished Australia's evolution from a penal colony to a fully fledged and internationally recognised country.
