James Watt
James Watt, a Scottish engineer, built an engine powered by steam that could pump water from mines three times as quickly as previous engines. This allowed more coal to be extracted from the mines. In 1782, Watt developed a rotary engine that could turn a shaft and drive machinery. Steam power could now be applied to spinning and weaving cotton, and before long, cotton mills using steam engines were multiplying across Britain. The cotton industry was pushed to even greater heights of productivity by the invention of the steam engine.
George Stephenson
Engines built by George Stephenson and his son proved to be the best. The Rocket was a culmination of several innovations so it became the best locomotive of its time. Stephenson's Rocket was first used on the public railway line. The Rocket reached speeds of 16 miles per hour.
Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan
The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan. At first the light bulb did not stay light for long. He kept trying and he got many patents in his name. Eventually he figured out that carbonized bamboo filaments would allow the light bulb to stay light for longer. The light bulb allowed homes and cities to be illuminated.
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell started to have an interest in deaf people. While he taught at a school for the deaf he startedto develop a machine that would transmit sound by electricity. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. He received a patent for the telephone but he would later face legal battles to say that he was the sole inventor.
Henry Ford
The automotive industry was revolutionized by Henry Ford and the mass production of the Model T car. He had many factories and by 1916 his factories were producing 735,000 cars a year.
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Orville and Wilbur learned their mechanical skills from many years of work on machinery in their shop. Orville and Wilbur Wright were not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first flight in a fixed-wing airplane. The invention of the three axis control allowed the pilot to steer the plane and maintain the equilibrium of the plane.
