The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the mid-1700s and by the 1830s and 1840s had spread to many other parts of the world. In Britain, it was a period when a largely rural, agrarian society was transformed into an industrialised, urban one…

The foundations of the Industrial Revolution date back to the early 1700s, when the English inventor Thomas Newcomen designed the first modern steam engine. Called the ‘atmospheric steam engine’, Newcomen’s invention was originally used to power machines that pumped water out of mines. In the 1760s, James Watt succeeded in making it far more efficient. Watt later worked with Matthew Boulton to invent a new steam engine driven by both the forward and backward strokes of the piston…

The demand for coal, which was a relatively cheap energy source, grew rapidly… in the early 1800s, Richard Trevithick built a steam-powered locomotive… goods were being transported between Manchester and Liverpool.

Britain had produced textiles in small workshops or even homes. Starting in the mid-1700s, innovations like the spinning jenny made it easier. Relatively little labour was required to produce cloth.

The British iron industry adopted new innovations. The smelting of iron ore with coke produced metals that were of a higher quality, enabling expansion in response to the expansion of the railways from the 1830s.

In 1837, William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial telegraphy system. This helped avoid collisions. Rapid urbanisation brought significant challenges, as overcrowded cities suffered from pollution, inadequate sanitation…

A group known as ‘Luddites’ objected to the increased use of mechanised looms… they feared that unskilled operators were robbing them of their livelihood.