Top 10 Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Better known as "trains," the locomotive (invented in the 1700s, but not revolutionary until Richard Trevithick) was actually much more important than we give it credit for. Before the steam locomotive, we traveled by horse-drawn carriages, which went about 20 miles per hour.

Early locomotives in the 1830s only went about 30 miles per hour, but this was still faster than a horse-drawn carriage by 10 miles per hour. By the 1880s, the locomotive reached speeds of about 80 miles per hour. Steam trains changed transportation by making it possible to ship goods and travel faster than ever before.

Most of you are probably thinking, "The telephone is on this list because it evolved so much since it was invented, right?" That is true, but it's actually aside from the point.

Alexander Graham Bell (the inventor of the telephone) wanted "a way to transmit speech electronically," and the result was the telephone, which at the time was clunky and had a short cord. Everyone loved it. Prior to that, our best way to communicate with each other was by letters, which wasn't as easy as it is now with the United States Postal Service.

In many ways, the electrical telegraph (invented by David Alter) was just as important as the locomotive and perhaps more important than the telephone. The idea behind the electrical telegraph was to create an encrypted electric signal at one location, send it through a wire over a long distance, and have the recipient decipher the code.

President Abraham Lincoln actually used an electrical telegraph during the American Civil War to communicate with his troops, primarily General Sam Grant. However, in the modern era, it is no longer in use.

The typewriter (invented by Henry Mill, William Austin Burt, or Christopher Latham Sholes, depending on who you ask) helped change society by minimizing the time and expense involved in creating documents. It encouraged systematic use and allowed communication over distances, significantly improving the business world.

Invented by James Watt in 1775, steam engines made it possible to easily work, produce, and more without needing to rely on nearby bodies of water. Cities and towns were built around factories where steam engines served as the foundation for the livelihood of the citizens.

Nice list. I would probably have this higher. It was kind of what started it all.

The lightbulb (invented by Nikola Tesla, not Thomas Edison) is one of the few inventions on this list that withstands the test of time. While it is a step up from the previous alternative (a bunch of candles everywhere), the lightbulb's impact was much more work-oriented than you might think.

Yes, it provided better light than candles did, but it also helped factory workers to work throughout the night. Before the lightbulb, that was quite a difficult task.

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison gave us light during darkness. Thanks to them for giving us light in the night sky besides the moon and stars. The Industrial Revolution brought remarkable changes to our world. It changed our lives.

Invented in 1764 (and patented in 1770) by James Hargreaves, the spinning jenny could be operated by workers without the skill to manually weave. It played a large role in developing and industrializing weaving, as it could spin multiple spindles simultaneously, starting with eight at a time and eventually increasing to eighty needles as the technology improved.

"What do you mean 'modern battery'?" Well, there's evidence that batteries were invented about 2,000 years ago, but the invention that sparked what we know as the battery was created by Alessandro Volta in 1800 (hence the term "voltage").

Things didn't get interesting until 1859 when the first rechargeable battery was invented by the French physician Gaston Planté. It created a nonstop electric current, paving the way for many other inventions and providing power for telegraphs and telephones.

Invented by Samuel Colt in 1831 and patented in 1836, the Colt Paterson revolver (or simply "the revolver") was the first practical revolving-cylinder handgun ever made. The Colt Paterson revolver became synonymous with Texas, as did just about any gun you can think of.

Invented by Samuel Crompton in 1779, the spinning mule made it possible for a single individual to utilize more than 1,000 spindles simultaneously. The spinning mule not only made the production of yarn faster but also produced higher-quality yarn. It was easily one of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

They were arguably one of the most important weapons of WWI and WWII. The Lee-Enfield rifle was the standard issue firearm for the British Army and the Commonwealth Nations. Other bolt-action rifles of importance were the Mosin Nagant (Russia and the Soviet Union), the Gewehr rifles (Germany), the M1930 Springfield (US), and the Berthier rifles (France).

The first bolt-action rifle was produced in 1824. You could say that based on their mass production, they definitely changed the way battles were fought.

Invented by Benjamin Tyler Henry, the repeating rifle (or just the "repeater") was an important advancement over previous rifles used in warfare, as it allowed for many more shots at a faster speed. Like the electric telegraph, the repeating Spencer rifle was used during the American Civil War.

One of the favorite inventions for history teachers to bring up is the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Before the cotton gin, cotton seeds had to be removed from fibers by hand, a long and difficult job.

With the cotton gin, picking cotton became easier, and it made farmers want to switch their primary crop to cotton. However, this invention also caused an increase in slavery. All in all, the cotton gin may have been a good invention, but it also increased slavery. It's a double-edged sword in that sense.