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Steam Engine is invented
The very first steam engine has been invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. The engine was important to the industrial revolution as it helped pump water using a vacuum from mines in England. -
Spinning Jenny is invented
The Spinning Jenny is invented by a weaver named James Hargreaves in 1764. Hargreaves had the ideas when one day his daughter Jenny, accidentally knocked over over the family spinning wheel. The spindle continued to revolve and it gave him the idea that a whole line of spindles could be worked off one wheel. The Spinning Jenny used eight spindles onto which the thread was spun, so by turning a single wheel, the operator could now spin eight threads at once. -
Steam engine has been improved by James Watt
The Steam Engine is improved by James Watt in 1769. This was one of the most efficient machines in the Industrial Revolution as Steam Engines powered the first trains, steamboats and factories. -
Patent of the cotton gin
In 1793, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. This was a vital tool in the Industrial Revolution because it helped to speed up the process that was to separate cotton fibres from their seeds. Cotton plants contained seeds that were difficult to separate from the soft fibers. The vast majority of cotton farmers were forced to grow the more labor-intensive short-staple cotton, which had to be cleaned by hand, one plant at a time. -
Combination Acts of 1799 in Britain
Combination acts were placed in Britain in 1799 that made union tradeism illegal. The laws sentenced three months in jail or to two months’ hard labour to any workman who combined with another to gain an increase in wages or a decrease in hours or who requested anyone else to leave work or objected to working with any other workman. -
Luddite Rebellion begins
In 1811, the Luddites, who were textile workers who lived in Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire, had started a rebellion because they were threatened by machines that were made by manufacturers. In addition to this, they had started destroying machines because they believed that they were threatening their jobs. -
Destruction of Stocking Frames Act 1812
In 1812, a new law was passed by the British Parliament making it illegal by penalty of death to destroy industrial machines. This was because the Luddites were destroying the weaving machines as a protest to help save their jobs. -
Safety lamps for miners are invented
Sir Humphrey Davy invented safety lamps for miners in 1815. it was designed to be lit safely for miners to use without allowing the heat from the flame to explode the concentration of methane gas often found as miners dug deeper. The lamps are known as Davy lamps. -
The first Factory Act for Child Labor
In 1833, the British government had passed a law to help improve working conditions for children in the Industrial Revolution. The act stated that children under the age of nine were not allowed to work in the factories, as the children worked long hours under horrible conditions. -
Poor Law created “poorhouses” for the poor
The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed by British Parliament in 1834. This was designed to reduce the cost of looking after the poor as it stopped money going to poor people. The poor were given clothes and food in the workhouse in exchange for several hours of manual labour each day. Families were split up inside the workhouse. People had to wear a type of uniform, follow strict rules and were on a bad diet of bread and watery soup.
