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Jethro Tull invents the seed drill
Jeturo Tull was one of the first scientific farmers. The seeds drill allowed farmers to sow seeds in well spaced rows at specific depths. -
John Kay invents flying shuttle
John Kay's flying shuttle speedily carried threads of yarn back and fourth when the weaver pulled a handle on the loom. The flying shutte greatly increased the productivity of weavers. -
James Watt builds the first steam engine
James Watt figured out a way to make the steam engine work faster and more efficiently while burning less fuel. -
Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto
In the Manifesto, Marx and Engels argued that human societies have aways been divided into warring classes. They said the Industrial Revolution had enriched the wealthy and impoverished the poor. They predicted that the workers would overthrow the owners. -
US Civil War ends; US experiences technological boom
The boom included a wealth of natural resources, among them was oil, coal, annd iron. A burst of inventions such as the electric light bulb and the telephone, and a swelling urban population. The railroad also happened. -
Germany becomes dominant industrial power in Europe
Germany began to copy Britian. Germany built railroads that linked their manufactaring cirites together. Germany's economic strength spurred its ability to develop as a military power. Germany had become both an industrial and military giant. -
British Unions win right to strike
The Combination Acts outlawed unions and strikes. Ignoring the threat of jail or job loss, factory workers joined unions anyway. Parliament finally repealed the Acts, and the British government unhappily tolerated unions.
