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3 Things I Learned
         1. I had never realized the amount of workers who had previously been employed in their homes or a home setting who got transplanted into factories.
         2. I had no idea that parents were as eager as they were for their children to work so that the family could make a little more money.
         3. I learned that James Watt was actually much more important to history than I had previously thought... I had always just assumed that he came up with a measurement system or something, but he actually did a lot in the way of lending to modern inventions.

2 Things I Found Interesting
         1. I thought it was really cool how all these major inventions just came about within about twenty years of each other, and what a big impact they made.
         2. It's amazing to think about the importance of railroads in relation to the Industrial Revolution. They seem so slow to us today (especially the original ones), but they made everything happen quicker for the people working back then.

1 Question I Still Have
         1. What level had education been brought up to in this time period, and how did the percent of the educated populace compare with the uneducated, both in terms of numbers and class?

Spotlight On... Gas Lighting

In the 1790's a man by the name of William Murdoch began to experiment with different forms of illumination, specifically a gas lantern. His ideas soon caught on, and major cities like Paris began using them to light their streets at night. People benefitted greatly from the artificial light, as now they weren't quite so restricted in their activities. They could stay up later and continue working, and they could get up very early if they wished. It was no longer necessary to try to plan a day around the hours of sunshine provided, and while that sounds like something that should date much farther back than the 1700's, it has always been a problem, even with supplies of candles. Candles did not provide that much light, and with their quivering flame they only kind of aided sight. Gas lamp illumination allowed people to see things clearly with just the flick of a switch or a turn of a knob.

US Event - Strikes and Unions

In 1842, while cement was being rediscovered in Europe and the Mines Act was being passed, the era of Industrial Revolutions was being felt in America. A case came before the Massachusetts Supreme Court (Commonwealth vs. Hunt) that resulted in strikes by unions being declared legal. Obviously this was important in this time period, because reform was still necessary, and unions were looking for a way for their voices to be heard. Unions were now fully legal organizations, and as such, they had the right to arrange things such as strikes. The only exception would be if the strikes became violent or started promoting illegal acts, in which case the union in question would no longer be permitted to go on with those actions.

US Event - The Start of the American Revolution

In 1775, James Watt patented his improved steam engine, and the colonies went off to war. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought in April, and Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride. George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief by the Second Continental Congress, and the battle of Bunker Hill was fought. America was declared as being in rebellion by England, although it hardly seems to have affected their Industrial Revolution. 1775 also saw Patrick Henry give his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech, and the seige of Fort Ticonderoga.

People in the News - William Cockerill

William Cockerill played an instrumental part in founding the spinning industry in England. He started up/worked with a lot of factories all over Europe, and it is known that he used one country's information to help himself in another country. When he was well-versed in the manufacturing and production ways in one country and he went onto another he would remember the plans and such to use them to start up the same type of system in his current country. He attracted a little bit of attention from government officials because of this, but was successful overall.

People in the News - David Ricardo

David Ricardo was a political economist who lived during the time of the Industrial Revolution and was considered one of the most influential economists of his time. He was a member of Parliament (among many other things) and ended up quite wealthy. He is probably best known for his ideas on the 'Iron Law of Wages', which says that eventually wages always trend towards the lowest possible life-sustaining pay grade.

People in the News - Adam Smith

Adam Smith is often considered the father of modern economics and capitalism, and it's only logical that he should have been a prominent person during the Industrial Revolution. Since the Industrial Revolution gave plenty of opportunities for lessons and experiments in the fields of capitalism and economics, he was able to find a receptive audience for his ideas. He is best know for his work The Wealth of Nations, although he wrote a few other works as well.

As a person he was regarded as a tad mentally unstable, because he often held conversations with himself and imaginary others, as well as coming down with imaginary ilnesses. However, his mind was brilliant, and the role his theories played during the Industrial Revolution was extremely significant.