DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

From the late 18th century, the invention

of machines that could do things faster than

ever before brought dramatic changes in the

way people lived and worked. Known as

the Industrial Revolution, these changes

took root in Britain and quickly spread to

Europe and the USA. It began in the textile

industry, with new machines powered first

by water and later by steam. This led to a

huge demand for coal, to fuel the engines,

and iron, to make the machines. New towns

sprang up as farm labourers moved from

the countryside to work in the factories.

INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION

Woollen shawl

“Puffing Billy”, built in

1813–14, is the world’s oldest

surviving steam locomotive

244

◀ FACTORIES

Huge buildings, called

factories, were constructed

to house the new machines,

row upon row. Machines,

such as these looms for

weaving cotton into cloth,

were powered by a steam

engine and the noise

they made would have

been deafening.

RAILWAYS ▶

In 1804, British inventor

Richard Trevithick built the first

steam-powered locomotive. Early

locomotives carried coal from

mines. From 1825, passenger

trains were built, and armies of

workers lay down railway lines.

FACTORY WEAR ▶

Factory owners preferred to hire

women and children to men,

because they were cheaper

and easier to discipline.

Women in the factories

wore heavy, durable

clothes, which were

products themselves

of the Industrial

Revolution’s textile boom.

Leather boots studded with

hobnails for durability

Woollen shirt

Skirt made from

thick, coarse cotton

fabric called calico

Factory workers

endured hot, humid

conditions and air

thick with cotton dust

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