Key inventions
| Year | Invention |
|---|---|
| 1769 | James Watt's improved steam engine |
| 1825 | First public steam railway in England |
| 1879 | Edison's practical light bulb |
| 1882 | First central power station, New York |
| 1913 | Ford's moving assembly line |
Each invention made the next one more useful.
Gains and costs
Gains
- Cheaper goods for more people
- Faster travel and shipping
- Rising incomes over time
Costs
- Long hours and child labor at first
- Crowded, polluted cities
- Dangerous factory work
Three waves
- Steam and textiles1760s–1840s, mostly in Britain
- Steel, rail and electricityLate 1800s, U.S. and Germany join in
- Mass productionEarly 1900s: cars, appliances, assembly lines
Engineering
The Industrial Revolution is when engineering became a profession.
Sources: Smithsonian; Encyclopaedia Britannica
Remember
Steam, steel and electricity multiplied what one worker could do and transformed how everyone lives.
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Answer key
- Where did the Industrial Revolution begin?BritainIn Britain in the 1700s.
- Who improved the steam engine in 1769?James WattWatt's design made steam power practical.
- What did Henry Ford introduce in 1913?The moving assembly lineIt made cars affordable.
- Which was a cost of early industrialization?Child labor and pollutionEarly factories had harsh conditions.
- When did Edison make a practical light bulb?1879In 1879.