I think most people have a very vague notion of what the Industrial
Revolution was, and descriptions and pictures are not particularly helpful. You
really need to see a spinning wheel, a spinning jenny, and a water frame at
work to appreciate what was happening in the 1700s. I have been fortunate enough
to visit some great museums and see some of these things at work, but I don’t
have the opportunity to do that with my students. That is where Industrial Revelations
comes in handy. There are several seasons of Industrial Revelations, and I
haven’t had time to watch them all, but the first season with Mark Williams (aka
Arthur Weasley) is great for showing many important technological changes
during the Industrial Revolution. Here is a link to the textile episode,
which I think is one of the best.
2 comments:
The Smithsoian American History Museum on the Mall in Washington, DC, has a terrific exhibition of the industrial revolution, marvelous things to see with clear and brief explanations. My favorite: a boat propelled by four oars on each side of the boat, powered by a steam engine, demonstrated in Philadelphia in 1787 (perhaps viewed by delegates to the Constitutional Convention, including George Washington).
Hi, I just came upon your blog while looking up the Industrial Revelations series and have bookmarked it because it looks quite interesting. I remember visiting the Smithsonian quite some time ago- haven't been there since about 1974- there was a 19th-century machine shop, all the tools with their red and green paint and gold-painted detail, and there was a railroad engine which was accompanied by a loud recording of what it would sound like. Anyway, whever I coe across a blog with some great information or fine writing and then I see no comments, or one comment, I want to leave a comment for encouragement, to you and to the many bloggers who put much effort into their articles and often wait many years even to get one response. So I thought to let you know I appreciate it. Gib Sosman Lawrence Ks.
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