industrial evolution timeline

  • textile mills

    textile mills
    Richard Arkwright first spinning mill, Cromford Mill, Derbyshire, was built in 1771. It contained his invention the water frame. The water frame was developed from the spinning frame that Arkwright had developed with (a different) John Kay, from Warrington.
  • cotton gin

    cotton gin
    Eli Whitney's original cotton gin patent, dated March 14, 1794. The modern mechanical cotton gin was invented in the United States of America in 1793 by Eli Whitney (1765–1825).
  • cotton gin

    cotton gin
    Eli Whitney's original cotton gin patent, dated March 14, 1794. The modern mechanical cotton gin was invented in the United States of America in 1793 by Eli Whitney (1765–1825).
  • interchangeable parts

    interchangeable parts
    Interchangeable parts are parts (components) that are, for practical purposes, identical. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type.
  • steamboat

    steamboat
    A steamboat is a boat in which the primary method of marine propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S (for 'Screw Steamer') or PS (for 'Paddle Steamer'), however these designations are most often used for Steamships.
  • eric canal

    eric canal
    "Clinton's Big Ditch" The Erie Canal is famous in song and story. Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.
  • national road

    national road
    In 1806 Congress authorized construction of the road and President Jefferson signed the act establishing the National Road. It would connect Cumberland, Maryland to the Ohio River. In 1811 the first contract was awarded and the first 10 miles of road built.
  • sewing machine

    sewing machine
    Elias Howe invented the first American sewing machine in 1846. It was used for fixing clothes at a factory use, and on production lines. The sewing machine was created in September 10,1846.
  • steel plow

    steel plow
    John Deere invented the steel plow in 1837 when the Middle-West was being settled. The soil was different than that of the East and wood plows kept breaking. Where was it created or discovered ? He invented it in Grand Detour, Illinois where he had settled.
  • mechanical reaper

    mechanical reaper
    One such invention was the mechanical reaper. The mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831. This machine was used by farmers to harvest crops mechanically. For hundreds of years, farmers and field workers had to harvest crops by hand using a sickle or other methods, which was an arduous task at best.