The spinning jenny would spin cotton into thread quickly using eight spindles, allowing for eight threads to be spun at once. It was invented by James Hargreave.
The spinning jenny was important because it reduced the amount of manual labor needed by eight times. This allowed for the quality of cloth to be greater and the speed of production for cloth faster.
Steam Engine (a.k.a. Watt engine 1776)
The steam engine uses the pressure from steam to perform mechanical functions like spinning the wheels on trains and pumping water from wells. It was invented by James Watt
The steam engine was important because it allowed for new machinery to be invented, like steam powered trains, which would revolutionize transportation.
Cotton Gin (1793)
Invented by Eli Whitney, the cotton gin was a machine that would separate cotton from its seeds.
This invention dramatically reduced the time and effort needed to separate the cotton seeds from the cotton fiber.
Steel Process (1856)
The steel process was also known as the Bessemer process because it was invented by Henry Bessemer. It was an invention that allowed inexpensive production of steel using air blown through pig iron.
This was important in the Industrial Revolution because this would allow the more common use of steel in machines, allowing for other inventions to come into fruition.
Smallpox Vaccine (1796)
The smallpox vaccine was invented by Edward Jenner and prevented the spread of smallpox.
The vaccine was important because smallpox was an immensely dangerous disease that killed 500 million people in the last hundred years, so the vaccine prevented the death of millions to come.
Rabies Vaccine (1879)
The rabies vaccine was invented by Louis Pasteur and used microbes from the rabies disease to give people immunity to rabies.
This was important because it kept people from getting rabies, which let people live rabies free and not have to worry about animal attacks.
Electric Telegraph (1837)
Invented by Samuel Morse, the electric telegraph allowed for a long distance communication that hadn been seen before.
This was important because it was a catalyst for other inventions like the telephone.
Typewriter (1829)
The typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham Sholes and uses a keyboard to type onto paper directly.
This was important because it allowed for documents to be made more efficiently.
Ophelia
Ophelia is a painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, completed between 1851 and 1852. It depicts Ophelia, a character from Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark. [more]
The Music Lesson
The Music Lesson or Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman by Jan Vermeer, is a painting of young female pupil receiving the titular music lesson. [more]
