206Industrial Revolution
Between 1750 and 1850, the development of
power-driven machines transformed the lives of
people, first in Britain and then other European
countries and the United States. This period is
known as the Industrial Revolution.
1712 1764
TIMELINE OF INDUSTRIAL INVENTIONS
James Hargreaves invented the
spinning jenny—
a mechanized
spinning wheel
that could spin
eight threads at once.Thomas Newcomen built
the first commercially
successful steam
engine. It was used
to pump water out
of mines.Samuel Crompton’s water-
powered, spinning “mule”
was bought by
many factory
owners.1779
HISTORY AND POLITICS
Child labor Children as young
as six years old worked
in the factories, until 1833,
when under-nines were banned.
They worked up to 12 to 14
hours a day with few breaks.
Sometimes, they were injured or
even killed by the machinery. FACTORIES From the
1790s, steam power replaced
the previously water-powered
machines. Inside the factories,
the noise of the machines was
deafening. Outside, the towns
were dirty and unhealthy places.Before the Industrial Revolution,
most people worked as farmers in
the fields. Spinning and weaving were
done at home. The invention of
machines changed this. Thousands of
workers seeking more pay moved into
the towns to work in the newly built
factories that housed these
big machines.7
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Burning the coal to produce
steam to power the machines
produced choking smoke.