The groundbreaking people,ideasand inventions of the Industrial Revolutionspanning from 1760 to 1840are brought to life in this fascinating addition to the New York Times bestselling What Was? series. Following the Agricultural Revolutionthe Industrial Revolution was a global period of economic and industrial progress in Europe and the United States. In just eighty yearsthe Industrial Revolution introduced new inventions and ideas that transformed labor and the economy. This included the industrial use of new materials like steelthe transition of means of production from human hands to machinesand the adoption of new processes like steam power. These innovations dramatically improved factory outputincreased the populationand set a new precedent for standard of living for the average person. In this illustrated bookwhich features sixteen pages of black-and-white photographsreaders will learn about the inventionspeopleand ideas that made this period one of the most important and exciting times in modern historyΓÇöone that still impacts our lives today.