Tagged with Inventions
Resource : Davy lamp
The humble miner’s safety lamp is, arguably, one of the most important inventions of the 1800s. The industrial revolution saw coal overtake wood as the most important fuel source for new industries and cities, with an ever increasing demand driving production and placing pressure on safe and efficient extraction. A lamp that could light the way, without causing a disastrous explosion, was as essential a piece of a miner’s kit as a pick-axe.
Resource : Faraday’s Electric Generator
This simple-looking and basic device, built by Michael Faraday in 1831, revolutionised almost every aspect of the lives of people all over the world. It is the first ever generator of electricity.
Resource : Difference Engine No.1 or ‘The Gem of all Mechanisms’
The Difference Engine aimed to mechanise the process of calculation. Composed of thousands of cogs, springs, brackets and other moving parts, it was designed to perform a multitude of calculations, as opposed to a single sum, surpassing anything that had gone before it. It was designed by Charles Babbage (1791-1871), who dreamed of creating an automatic, error-free, calculating machine. A machine, which today, would be recognised as a computer.
Resource : Boulton, Watt and Murdoch: ‘The Golden Boys of Birmingham’
This gilded bronze statue, known as the ‘Golden Boys’ (and also the ‘Carpet Salesmen’!) honours Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch. They are shown studying steam engine plans. Together these three revolutionised the steam engine – the technology that would literally drive the industrial revolution.
Resource : Steam Whistle
The steam engine was one of the most important technologies of the industrial revolution. But it could be dangerous. The invention of the steam whistle made steam power much safer, saving countless lives as steam technology developed and grew through the 1800s.
