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The First Industrial Revolution, c. 1760 - 1840

An illustration depicting the First Industrial Revolution - a time of technological and scientific innovation that led to the rapid industrialization and urbanization of Europe and North America’s agricultural economies (the term Industrial Revolution was initially coined in French but became popular through the writings of the English historian Arnold Toynbee describing the British economic development between about 1760 and 1840). Once crafted by hand, goods were mass-produced in mechanized factories driven by the introduction of new machines and techniques, most notably in textiles, metallurgy, and the utilization of steam power. At the turn of the 1840s, as the early innovations matured, an economic recession slowed the progress rate. However, inventions developed late in the period, such as improved transportation, iron smelting, and electricity and communication (the telegraph), set the base for future industrial and societal development.

Image by Simeon Netchev