Andy Oxfeld Keith Bare Peter Snyder Jacob Mudrick Karl Hillenbrand

Important Inventions During the Industrial Revolution Return to front page Mechanized Reaper | Safe Elevator | Steamboat | Cotton Gin | Steam Engine | Railroad Mechanized Reaper Invented by: Cyrus McCormick Time Invented: 1831 Function: Harvests grain Lasting Effects: The mechanical reaper vastly sped up the time it took for harvests. One advertisement for it claimed it could do the work of 6 men. With less people needed for farming, more and more people were able to work in other areas of work. (image from http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us) Safe Elevator Invented by: Elisha Otis Time Invented: 1853 Function: Made elevators safe, so that passengers/cargo would not be harmed should the rope break. Lasting Effects: By making elevators practical, buildings could be constructed much higher, as both people and goods could reach higher floors with much less effort. (image from http://www.theelevatormuseum.org) Steamboat Invented by: John Fitch Time Invented: 1790 Function: Invented the first steam-powered boat. Lasting Effects: While his invention was not successful at the time, Robert Fulton would build on Fitch's steamboat, making it more economical, and convincing people of its value, thus starting the "era of the Steamboat". (image from http://www.uh.edu) Cotton Gin Invented by: Eli Whitney Time Invented: 1794 Function: Vastly sped up the process of harvesting cotton. Lasting Effects: Prior to the invention of the Cotton Gin, the Southern economy, as well as slavery, had been declining. With the invention of the Cotton Gin, cotton production now became very profitable, and slaves were needed more than ever, prolonging slavery for another 60 years. (image from http://inventors.about.com) Steam Engine Invented by: James Watt (British) Time Invented: 1765 Brought to America by: Oliver Evans Function: Provided power for many devices used during the Industrial Revolution. Lasting Effects: While the steam engine was a British invention, it played so critical a role in the American Industrial Revolution that it deserves mention. It led to steam-powered boats, reapers, and eventually trains. Oliver Evans, an American, then improved upon the steam engine by building small, high-pressure steam engines, which were much better than the big, low-pressure steam engines used in Britain. (image from http://www.uh.edu) Railroad Invented by: Richard Trevithick (British), George Stephenson (British) Time Invented: 1803, 1825 Brought to America by: Colonel John Stevens Function: Allowed for fast transportation of people and goods. Lasting Effects: While Colonel John Stevens demonstrated an experimental railroad in America three years before George Stephenson perfected his locomotive in Britain, George Stephenson was really the first person to get a railroad line up and running. America quickly followed with its own railroad lines. This invention opened up the entire United States for transportation of goods, creating a national market that allowed companys to sell their products all over the entire country. (image from http://inventors.about.com)