1709: Abraham Darby I buys the Coalbrookdale works. He discovers coke can be used to smelt iron.
1712: Thomas Newcomen develops steam-powered pump.
1761: Opening of the Bridgewater Canal which was one of the first in Britain.
1765: Hargreaves invents spinning jenny for spinning thread.
1787: Cartwright invents power-loom for weaving cloth.
1801: First census is taken
1812: Luddites attack machines in cities of Northern England.
1815: Sir Humphrey Davy & George Stephenson both invent safety lamps for miners.
1825: Locomotion No.1 runs on the Stockton to Darlington Railway.
1829: Stephenson’s Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials.
1831: Cholera epidemic starts In Sunderland.
1833: Factory Act prevents the use of children at work until they are 9 years old.
1834: Poor Law Amendment sets up workhouses
1837: First message is sent via telegraph.
1839: James Nasmyth invents the steam hammer which is used for shaping iron.
1840: Cheap postal service is introduced.
1842: Mines act bans women and children from working underground.
1851: The Great Exhibition is held in London.
1851: The results of the first Census show that more people are living (and working) in towns than they are in the country.
1852: Palmer’s shipyard launches the John Bowes
1856: Henry Bessemer’s converter reduces the cost of steel production by half.
1866: Football association is set up
1870: Forster’s Education act is passed
1876: Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone.
1987: Ironbridge Gorge is designated a World Heritage site.