Technology Now and Then – Industrial Revolution Innovations

30 vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, processes, and inventions related to industrial-era technology developments discussed in the lecture notes.

Industrial Revolution

A period of major industrialization (mid-18th to 19th centuries) marked by technological innovations and mass production methods.

Factory System

A manufacturing method that gathers large numbers of workers and specialized machinery in one site to produce goods on a large scale.

Cottage Industries

Pre-factory small-scale manufacturing carried out in workers’ homes or local workshops using manual or water-powered tools.

Blacksmith

A craftsperson who forges and shapes iron by hand, common in cottage industries before factories.

Wheelwright

A maker of wheels for carts and wagons; a typical skilled trade before industrial mechanization.

Cartwright

A craftsperson who builds carts; another example of skilled cottage-industry labor.

Waterwheel

A wheel driven by flowing water, once the main power source for early mills and machinery.

Steam Power

Energy generated by steam engines, which replaced water power and enabled factories to be built in cities.

Crompton’s Mule

A spinning machine invented in 1779 by Samuel Crompton that combined the spinning jenny and water frame to spin multiple threads.

Spinning Jenny

An earlier multi-spindle spinning frame; its ‘carriage’ element contributed to Crompton’s mule.

Water Frame

Richard Arkwright’s spinning machine powered by water; its rollers were combined into Crompton’s mule.

Spinning Mule

General term for machines derived from Crompton’s mule, later steam-powered and operable by unskilled workers.

Cotton Mill

A factory where raw cotton is spun into yarn and woven into cloth, originally water-powered, later steam-powered.

Smelting

The process of heating ore to extract a metal, such as iron, from its ore rock.

Pig Iron

Crude iron produced directly from smelting iron ore; a key intermediate in iron production.

Charcoal

Traditional wood-based fuel once used for smelting iron before being replaced by coke.

Coke (fuel)

Smokeless, high-temperature fuel made by baking coal; introduced by Abraham Darby in 1709 for iron smelting.

Coalbrookdale

The Derbyshire site where Abraham Darby pioneered coke-fired iron production.

Puddling

A process introduced by Henry Cort that stirred molten iron to remove impurities, aiding large-scale production.

Rolling (iron)

Henry Cort’s method of passing hot iron through rollers to shape it; combined with puddling for efficient output.

Iron Foundry

A factory where iron is smelted and cast; often located near coalfields after coke’s adoption.

Crystal Palace

London exhibition building (1851) featuring iron frames and glass walls, showcasing industrial iron use.

Eiffel Tower

Iron lattice tower built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris; stood 324 m tall and symbolized industrial engineering.

Lattice Structure

A framework of intersecting metal beams; used in the Eiffel Tower’s iron design.

Steam Engine

A machine that converts steam pressure into mechanical work; revolutionized mining, manufacturing, and transport.

Thomas Savery

Inventor (c. 1698) of an early steam engine designed to pump water out of mines.

Thomas Newcomen

Developer (c. 1710) of an improved steam engine for mine drainage, later enhanced by Watt.

James Watt

Engineer who greatly improved the steam engine’s efficiency in 1769, making it practical for widespread use.

Matthew Boulton

Industrialist who partnered with James Watt in 1775 to manufacture and market efficient steam engines.

Exposition Universelle of 1889

World’s Fair in Paris for which the Eiffel Tower was built as the central showcase.