Question

From the Industrial Revolution to the present, innovation has played a major role in the growth of output. What do the leading analysts of economic growth argue were some of the most significant innovations of this period?

Answer 1

1. Flying shuttle, or weaving made easy
This great example was widely used throughout Lancashire after 1760 and was one of the key developments of the period. It was patented in 1733 by John Kay, and its implementation effectively doubled the output a weaver could make, thereby allowing the workforce to effectively be halved.

Prior to this invention, a weaver was required on each side of a broad-cloth loom, now one weaver alone could do the job of two. Several subsequent improvements were made to it over the years with an important one in 1747.

Its impact was incredibly significant, effectively allowing the production of textiles beyond the capacity of the rest of the industry. It arguably prompted further industrialization throughout the textile and other industries to keep up.

2. The Spinning Jenny increased wool mills' productivity
The Spinning Jenny was another example of great inventions of the Industrial Revolution. It was developed by James Hargreaves who patented his idea in 1764.

The Spinning Jenny was groundbreaking during its time and one that would help change the world forever. It allowed workers to spin more wool at a given time.

This vastly increased mills productivity and, along with the Flying Shuttle, helped force further industrialization of the textile industry in the United Kingdom.

It allowed for a massive reduction in the work needed to produce a piece of cloth and allowed for a worker to work eight or more spools at a time. With further refinement, this increased to 120 spools over time.

3. The Watt Steam Engine, the engine that changed the world
27 inventions of industrial revolution steam engine
When James Watt created the first reliable steam engine in 1775 his invention would literally change the world. His innovation blew the older less efficient models, like the Newcomen engine, out of the water.

James' innovation of adding a separate condenser significantly improved steam engine efficiency, especially latent heat losses. His new engine would prove very popular and would wind up installed in mines and factories across the world.

It was hands down, one of the greatest inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

His version also integrated a crankshaft and gears and it became the prototype for all modern steam engines. It would eventually lead to incredible improvements in almost all industries, including the textile industry, across the world.

Steam engines would also lead to the development of locomotives and massive leaps forward in ship propulsion.

4. The Cotton Gin: the engine that made cotton production boom
Eli Whitney is another name synonymous with inventions of the Industrial Revolution. He invented the cotton engine, gin for short, in 1794.

Prior to its introduction into the textile industry, cotton seeds needed to be removed from fibers by hand. This was laborious and time-consuming, to say the least. This machine vastly improved the profitability of cotton for farmers.

The Cotton Gin enabled many more farmers to consider cotton as their main crop. This was especially significant for farmers and slave plantation owners in the Americas.

With the seeds and fibers separated more efficiently it became much easier for farmers to use the fibers to make cotton goods like linen. They could also simultaneously separate seeds for more crop growth or cottonseed oil production.

5. Telegraph communications, a pillar of the Industrial Revolution
Coming in at the tail end of the Industrial Revolution, the Telegraph was one another of the greatest inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Created in the early 1800s it changed communication forever.

Thanks to this technology, near-instant communication became possible initially across the country and eventually across the globe. This enabled people to stay in contact and become aware of wider geopolitical events much more easily.

The first true electrical telegraphs finally superseded optical semaphore telegraph systems to become the world's first electrical form of telecommunications. In only a matter of decades, the electrical telegraph became the de facto means of communication for businesses and private citizens long distance.

6. Portland Cement and the invention of concrete

Interior of the Thames Foot Tunnel, mid-19th century, Source: Nichtbesserwisser/Wikimedia Commons
Joseph Aspdin was a bricklayer turned builder who, in 1824, devised and patented a chemical process for making Portland Cement. This one invention from the Industrial Revolution has been one of the most important of all time for the construction industry.

His process involved sintering a mixture of clay and limestone to around 1,400-degrees Celcius. This then needed to be ground into a fine powder only to be later mixed with sand and gravel to make concrete.

7. The modern roads by John McAdam
Before the Industrial Revolution, the quality of Britain's roads was less than great.

Many British roads were poorly maintained and poor quality. During the 1700s turnpike trusts were set up to charge tolls in an attempt to improve maintenance and the general quality of the country's transport system.

The modern assembly line was, funnily enough, also a product of the revolution
8. Inventions of industrial revolution assembly line
And finally, yet another world-changing invention of the Industrial Revolution was the modern assembly line. This manufacturing process breaks down the assembly process into sections where the final product is sequentially completed along the line.

This helped speed up the manufacturing process considerably and with less manpower than traditionally would have been required.

These are some of the greatest innovations happened till date. Please rate my answer.