A Very Brief History of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution refers to the period in theengine. This engine type is still by far the most
mid 1700's in which significant advancements werepopular type used in the world today.The automotive
made in the application of our technologicalindustry played a major role in the creation of wealth
knowledge and discoveries. It signaled a transitionand the refinement of certain technologies. The
from an economy based on manual labor inassembly line production model was first employed
agriculture to an economy dominated by industry andduring this period. While more and more people left
machine manufacturing. The first industrial revolutionthe farm for the factory, their opportunities for
had a profound impact on modern society. Althoughupward social mobility increased. People had more
there is some debate surrounding the origins of thework and more money, and this led to an overall
movement, most agree that it began in Britain withincrease in the general wealth of the populace.
the invention of the steam engine.The steam engineNaturally, the automotive became a symbol of one's
was powered by the burning of coal, which boiledwealth and social standing. These technological
water, and created pressurized steam. Thisadvances precipitated some enormous changes in
pressurized steam was used to power industrialsociety.The ideas developed and realized in Western
machinery, primarily used in the manufacture ofEurope and America, spread throughout the world
textiles. The second industrial revolution merged withbringing immense social change. The industrial
the first industrial revolution sometime around 1850,revolution played a central role in the establishment
when the benefits of the first phase became fullyof modern city centers. This was due mainly to the
realized. The second industrial revolution was a directinflux of agricultural workers into the areas in which
product of the wealth and technologicalthe factories were being built. The industrial revolution
advancements created by the first phase.Thisalso had a profound impact on the legal system of
particular era of the industrial revolution ismany nations, as legislation to establish the rights of
characterized by the development of steamworkers was introduced. Modern life would be very
powered railways and ships. In the early 1900's, thedifferent today were it not for the industrial
internal combustion engine began to be used enrevolution.Jim Staller is interested in the history of
masse. Although the notion of a combustion engineindustrial manufacturing, with a keen focus on
had been imagined for some time, it was not fullyworkplace safety. When he is not researching the
realized until 1860 when Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoirlatest health and safety information, he writes for
produced his famous gas-fired internal combustionindustrial101.