Why is the Industrial Revolution considered a landmark in history?

Why is the Industrial Revolution considered a landmark in history?

The Industrial Revolution may be defined as the application of power-driven machinery to manufacturing. In the eighteenth century (around 1774) all of Western Europe began to industrialize rapidly. In England, the process was most highly accelerated.




By the beginning of the eighteenth century in England, the used of machines in manufacturing was already widespread. In 1762, Mathew Boulton built a factory which employed more than six hundred workers and installed a team engine to supplement power. In 1733, John Kay, a Lancashire mechanic, patented his flying shuttle. James Hargreaves patented a spinning jenny on which one operator could spin many threads simultaneously. Then, in 1779, Samuel Crompton combined jenny and the water frame in a machine known as ‘Crompton’s mule’, which produced quantities of fine, strong yarn.




Electricity was a major factor in the phenomenally rapid industrialization or Britain and Europe. The coming of the railroads greatly facilitated the industrialization of Europe.




The big railway boom in Britain came in the years 1844 to 1847. British success with steam locomotion, however, was enough to encourage the building of railroads in most European countries, often with British capital, equipment and technicians. Railroads became a standard item of British export. The internal combustion engine was developed in Europe before 1900.




At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the steam driven ships appeared on the horizon. The first practical steamship was constructed by an American Robert Fulton in 1907, and soon steamships were routinely crossing the Atlantic.




Communications also saw developments during this period. In 1871, telegraph cable reached from London to Australia; messages could be flashed halfway around the globe in a matter of minutes, speeding commercial transactions.




Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 transmitted the human voice over a wire. The world continued to shrink at a great rate as new means of transport and communication speeded the pace of life with the coming of the Industrial Revolution.

What was James Cook remembered?

What was James Cook remembered?

James Cook is one of the greatest names in the history of exploration. The Endeavour was the ship in which James Cook made his first voyage (1768-71). Cook made three great voyages, in the course of which he discovered many new lands, chartered coastlines. He thus paved the way for the British colonization of Australia and New Zealand

Why was the Battle of Plassey so important?

Why was the Battle of Plassey so important?

The Battle of Plassey, fought between Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud Daulah and British East India Company is judged as one the pivotal battles leading to the formation of the British Empire in India. The battle took place on June 23, 1757 at Plassey (Palashi), India.




Bengal had a long standing treaty with the East India Company, who held Calcutta. When Siraj Ud Daulah crowned as new Nawab of Bengal in 1756, he ignored the treaty, and occupied Calcutta. The East India Company responded with an Army led by Robert Clive, which recaptured Calcutta, and then caught up with the Nawab’s Army at the village of Plassey.




Clive had just over 3, 000 troops, of whom 2, 000 were Indian, while the Nawab had 50, 000 men, with French artillery. However, most of the Nawab’s Army were led by traitors who had conspired with British. As a result, the Bengali troops of the Nawab fled the battle offering much resistance, and the British were able to overwhelm the French artillery. Clive had won a famous victory for the loss of between 20 and 70 men.

Who made the first inoculation against the dreaded small pox disease?

Who made the first inoculation against the dreaded small pox disease?

Smallpox was an extremely common disease until the eighteenth century. But it was often a fatal disease, death being sure in most cases. Small pox starts as a rash which develops into blisters. Within a few days, the blisters fester and then start to dry and crack up.


The death rate for this disease was high until a breakthrough was achieved by Lady Mary Wortley in 1717. She noticed that in Turkey, where her husband was the ambassador, they used fluid from the smallpox blisters to protect those who were uninfected. She introduced the practice-variolation (small pox was also known as variola) – to Britain, where it was quickly accepted. Some people did die during the process, but overall the death rate was vastly reduced

Why is Fahrenheit’s thermometer important?

Why is Fahrenheit’s thermometer important?

The mercury thermometer was invented in 1714 by Gabrield Daniel Fahrenheit, a German instrument maker. He also introduced the new temperature scale, known as the Fahrenheit scale after him. The zero on this scale was thirty two degrees below the freezing point of water on the Celsius scale i.e. zero degrees Celsius, and the boiling point of water i.e. hundred degrees Celsius was equal to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.


Mercury was more responsive to temperature changes, did not evaporate, and was therefore, preferable to any other liquid. Calibrated marks on the tube allow the temperature to be read by the length of the mercury within the tube. The end of the thermometer is usually shaped like a bulb. The expansion and contraction of the mercury can be noted by observing the bore of the tube. The space above the mercury was often filled with nitrogen or is a vacuum.


No Mercury


Today, the use of mercury thermometers for medical purposes is often not allowed. However, they are still widely used for meteorological purposes. Some reputed organizations in the world recommend that mercury thermometers not be sued as they are harmful both to the body and to the environment.

When did Scotland become part of Great Britain?

When did Scotland become part of Great Britain?

At the end of the seventeenth century, there was growing dissension in England and Scotland, regarding the relationship between these two countries. William III was more interested in England because of its value to him in his European affairs.


Many people advocated that the two kingdoms should become separate states. William and his advisors were more in favour of an incorporated union, although Scottish feeling was of the opinion that such a union would stifle Scotland even further.


In 1706, Queen Anne set up a commission to draw up a treaty for union. The resultant Act decreed that two countries be united as Great Britain under one parliament and one flag. The trade, religious practices, and law making for Scotland. It became law in May 1707.

When was Newton’s Principia published and what does it contain?

When was Newton’s Principia published and what does it contain?

The Black Death in London resulted in the shutting down of Cambridge University in year. Isaac Newton, a young mathematician working as a fellow in Trinity College there retired to Lincolnshire where he could work at leisure.


Newton worked on optics, demonstrating that white light was made up of many colours. However, he is most famous for his work on gravitation. He believed that the laws of gravity could be extended even to celestial objects. The story of the apple falling is well known, but it is probably only a legend. Using the calculus, one of his inventions, he showed mathematically that the moon was held in its orbit by gravity, otherwise it could move in a straight line, at a tangent to its orbit.


Newton’s theory of universal gravitation said that every body attracts another which a force which depends on their masses and decreases with the square of their distances from each other. He used this theory to explain the shape of the earth, tides and even the shape of the universe. He put these ideas down in the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, universally known as Principia which is perhaps one of the most influential scientific books ever written.

How did the great fire of London start?

How did the great fire of London start?

On September 2, 1666, a fire was discovered in the house of John Farynor, the king’s baker in Pudding Lane, a narrow street East of the London Bridge. Unfortunately for the residents of London, there was a strong wind, which blew the flames towards the city.


The fire spread rapidly and burnt for four days. It spread from London Bridge to Lombard Street and to Cornhill, from Cheapside to Fleet Street and then to the Inner Temple and New gate. Over 121 hectares of land were completely destroyed.

When was the English East India Company founded?

When was the English East India Company founded?

The Dutch had, at one point of time, controlled most of the spice trade with Indonesia and Moluccas. London, as the other great city of traders was very concerned about this. As the sixteenth century drew to a close, on its very last day, Queen Elizabeth granted permission to a newly formed company to carry on trade in Asia, Africa and America between Cape Cod and the Strait of Magellan. The ships of the East India Company, as it was called, followed the route to the East via Cape of Good Hope. Soon it was as large as the Royal Navy in terms ships and men. The supremacy of the East India Company over India is well known. This continued until 1874, when the Company handed over India to the Crown in Britain.

Why is Galileo Galilee so famous?

Why is Galileo Galilee so famous?

Galileo Galilee (1564 – 1642) was a celebrated Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who is synonymous with the scientific revolution. Often referred to as the ‘father of the modern astronomy, Physics and science’, his achievements include the first systematic studies of uniformly accelerated motion, and improvements to the telescope. He made a variety of astronomical observations, and supported the theories of Copernicus.


Galileo’s experiment-based work represented a significant break from the abstract approach of Aristotle. Galileo studied the motion of uniformly accelerated objects, as subject of kinematics.


Galileo was born in Pisa in modern day Italy. In 1589, he was appointed to the chair of Mathematics in Pisa. From 1592 to 1610 he taught geometry, mechanics, and astronomy at the university of Padua. During this period, Galileo made significant discoveries in both pure science and applied science