The London Times
Special Story: The Industrial Revolution
What is The Industrial Revolution?
Every part of life was altered by this industrial explosion. Soon after it begun, life expectancy, population, and income began to increase. Some historians and economics say that The Industrial Revolution was the most important event to happen to mankind since the domestication of plants and animals.
Textiles were the dominant industry of The Industrial Revolution. These were the first to use modern production methods. More people were employed in this job than any other at the time.
Famous Inventors of The Industrial Revolution
James Watt improved upon the conventional steam engine. He made it much more effective. This allowed for more powerful machines.
Eli Whitney created the cotton gin. This allowed for the fast production of cotton used in textiles. This invention also boosted the American south land's economy.
Henry Bessemer is known for his method of the manufacture of steel. This allowed for improved buildings, automobiles, and boats.
Edward Jennings discovered the smallpox vaccine. This was the worlds first vaccine, and at the time, smallpox was still at large.
Louis Pasteur came up with pasteurization. This allowed for the treatment of germs through the use of heat and cooling. Large quantities of foods and other things could be pasteurized to protect them from disease.
The Industrial Revolutions Effect on Individuals
Life expectancy was increased because of new medications such as vaccines that were developed at the time. Edward Jenner created the vaccine for smallpox. Today, smallpox doesn't exist in the general population anymore.
Building quality and size were increased because of new processes like the manufacturing of steel. Steel allowed stronger, wider, and taller buildings to be built.
The income of an average person also led to the creation of the middle class.
The Industrial Revolutions Effect on Society
Because many ports were located in cities, factories began to spring up around them. This way, raw materials could arrive at factories as quick as possible. Many people had to work in these factories. As a result, many more people began moving into cities. This is called urbanization.
Because of this urbanization and increased life expectancy from better medical knowledge, the population of the world began to steadily increase.
The factories that create the image of The Industrial Revolution happened to produce lots of smoke, soot, and smog.
With the growth of the individual's income and the creation of the middle class came increased GDP per capita. What this means is that nations were becoming economically stronger.