Researched
Mechanized Textile Mills
Jenny, water frame and power loom (1764-85) move spinning and weaving from cottages to water- and steam-driven mills.
Open in the interactive tree →Hargreaves' spinning jenny (1764), Arkwright's water frame (1769) and Cartwright's power loom (1785) mechanised the two oldest crafts. Arkwright's Cromford mill (1771) put many workers under one water-powered roof and became the model of the factory system. Textile demand pulled in iron machines, steam power and capital, and cotton cloth became the first mass-produced industrial good.
Prerequisites
- Cordage & Weaving~30,000 years agoMills mechanised the ancient craft of twisting fibre into thread and weaving cloth
- Water Wheel~250 BC
- Mills as the First Machines~1000
Unlocks
- Jacquard Loom (Punched Cards)1804
- Trade Unions & Labour Law1871
- Mass Production (Assembly Line)1913Textile mills created the factory system that assembly lines later perfected
Sources
More in Manufacturing & Construction · Industrial Age
- Crucible Steel~1740
- Machine Tools1775
- Iron Bridge1779
- Puddling & Rolling Mills1783-84
- Centrifugal Governor1788
- Interchangeable Parts~1800–1850
- Jacquard Loom (Punched Cards)1804
- Macadam & Asphalt Roads1820