What do you think is special about inventions happening during the industrial
revolution? AS
Answers
Answer
The transition to new manufacturing processes with an effect on both the industry and economy in Britain between the 1780s and the 1850s is known as industrial revolution. It marked an important shift from a rural agrarian society to a more developed urban industrial one. This shift was possible because of a variety of inventions that took place during this time period. The special feature of these inventions can be explained through the following points –
• Most of the time they were a product of determination, interest, curiosity, and luck more than the application of scientific knowledge.
• Education regarding the different sciences may have been restricted to the general population, but the thirst for knowledge even in small towns were satiated through the several scientific magazines and journals that were published during this time in England.
• The inventors in the cotton industry like John Kay, James Hargreaves, etc often came from humble backgrounds like weaving and carpentry, but their general curiosity often led them to the inventions.
• Inventors in the area of steam engines like Thomas Savery, Thomas Newcomen, and James Watt did have some background in metallurgical works even though the road builder John Metcalf was blind.
From the above discussion, it is evident that it was optimism, curiosity and a burning need that led to the inventions that spearheaded the Industrial Revolution In Britain which makes them special.