The first spinning machine came up in the 15th century.
Up to the Industrial Revolution energy was produced by water power.
James Watt invented the steam engine.
By the middle of the 19th century Britain became the world's second largest coal produced after the USA.
Most of the coal came from the Liverpool area.
George Stevenson invented the first steam-powered train.
Many people moved from the cities to the countryside where it was not so crowded.
Men worked mostly in the iron mills, women worked in the textile factories.
Unions protected workers if they were unfairly treated by their bosses.
In the early 19th century the Industrial Revolution spread to the European mainland.
Cities were often unhealthy places to live because of the dirty air.
During the Industrial Revolution the working classes became richer and the middle and upper classes poorer.