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The Newcomen engine, or atmospheric steam engine, was invented in 1712 by Thomas Newcomen, advised by the physicist Robert Hooke and the mechanic John Calley. This machine was an improvement over Thomas Savery's machine. -
The flying shuttle, created by John Kay in 1733, was the first step in the mechanization of the loom and significantly increased the productivity of weavers. -
Watt's steam engine, also known as the Boulton and Watt steam engine, was the first practical steam engine, becoming one of the driving forces of the Industrial Revolution. James Watt developed the design sporadically between 1763 and 1775, with the support of Matthew Boulton. -
The spinning Jenny was a spinning machine, invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves at Stanhill, near Blackburn in Lancashire, England. This device greatly reduced the labor required for yarn production, giving a single worker the ability to handle eight or more spools at a time. -
The adaptation of the steam engine to railways became a commercial success with English engineer George Stephenson's The Rocket in 1829. -
Hydraulic mill or water mill and its variants, dipper mill or weir and mill, is the set of hydraulic mills, constructions and machines dedicated since Antiquity to the use of the natural driving force of water from rivers, tides, etc. -
The spinning mule, also originally known as the "muslin spinner" or the "Hall-i'-th'-Woodes spinner," was a machine used to spin cotton and other fibers. They were used extensively from the late 18th century to the early 20th century in factories in Lancashire and elsewhere. -
The original Luddites were British weavers and textile workers who objected to the increased use of mechanized looms and knitting frames. Most were trained artisans who had spent years learning their craft, and they feared that unskilled machine operators were robbing them of their livelihood. -
The power loom, a key invention of the Industrial Revolution, was a mechanized device designed to automate the weaving process. Successful power loom operations played a significant role in transforming the textile industry by reducing dependence on human labor and revolutionizing the way fabrics were produced. -
Robert Fulton's steamboat was important because it made transportation and trade by the river more feasible. Before the steamboat, most trade/travel was done by wind-powered sailboats, whose speed depended on weather conditions and river currents. Most rivers travel north to south, making upstream travel agonizing. -
On May 10, 1869, Leland Stanford tapped the ceremonial Gold Spike into a pre-drilled hole to link the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, creating the First Transcontinental Railroad. The spike was later donated to the Stanford Museum, now the Cantor Arts Center, where it is part of the permanent collection. -
Edison light bulbs, also known as filament light bulbs and retroactively referred to as antique light bulbs or vintage light bulbs, are tungsten or carbon filament incandescent light bulbs, or modern bulbs that replicate their appearance. -
William LeBaron Jenney's Home Insurance Building stood at the northeast corner of LaSalle and Adams streets. As the world's first iron-and-steel-framed building, it heralded and made possible a new era in tall buildings. It was arguably the world's first skyscraper, though that distinction is debated among purists. -
The earliest surviving film, known today as the Roundhay Garden Scene (1888), was captured by Louis Le Prince and briefly depicted members of his family in motion. -
In the mid-1890s, building on techniques physicists were using to study electromagnetic waves, Guglielmo Marconi developed the first apparatus for long-distance radio communication. -
Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of scientific experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903. -
Belgian chemist and clever marketeer Leo Baekeland pioneered the first fully synthetic plastic in 1907. He beat his Scottish rival, James Swinburne, to the patent office by one day. His invention, which he would christen Bakelite, combined two chemicals, formaldehyde and phenol, under heat and pressure. -
The Model T burst into history on October 1, 1908. Henry Ford called it "the universal vehicle." It became the symbol of economical and reliable transportation. -
Increasing diplomatic tensions between the European great powers reached a breaking point on 28 June 1914, when a Bosnian Serb named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary held Serbia responsible, and declared war on 28 July.