Industrial Revolution Trivia Quiz

Answer: England

In 1740, the first factories started to appear in England. However, industrialization did not 'take off' in England till about 1780. In the early stages it was on a small scale. The second country to industrialize is generally held to be France (shortly after 1815) together with Southern Belgium.

Answer: Eli Whitney

Invented in 1793, this allowed the fine cotton seeds to be separated from the cotton much more easily than when they were previously picked out by hand. Therefore it gave a new boost to the cotton industry of the Southern states of the USA, and so indirectly kept slavery alive.

Answer: Luddites

From 1811 to 1817 Luddites caused serious property damage. The organization is said to have been created in March 1811, in Nottingham and lead by Ned Ludd (after which they were named). The last significant Luddite attack was at Loughborough lace factory in February 1817.

After that there were minor incidents, but the movement then largely died. (Deliberate machine-breaking was made a capital (!) crime in the UK in 1817).

Answer: Pumping water out of mine shafts

One of the major problems of mining was the water. Until the steam engine mining could not be done very deep. However, Newcomen's invention was very weak, but was improved on later.

Answer: At the University of Glasgow

Watt was the University's official scientific instrument-maker. He was asked to repair Newcomen's engine and while doing so he learned a lot about its mechanics.

Answer: Combination Act

People found guilty of this law could be sentenced to jail for three months.

Answer: flying shuttle

The flying shuttle allowed one weaver to take the place of two and it also made the job faster. One would expect such an invention to make a person rich. However, John Kay suffered more than prospered. He created so many enemies by putting people out of work that he was eventually forced to flee to France.

Answer: c. 1890 onwards

Despite this Russia remained a backward nation in the early twentieth century.

Answer: 1844

Factory Act of 1844. The law was originally only meant for women and children but since (in many factories) men's work was also linked to with these, their hours were also cut.

Answer: False

As a result of the increase of machines to do the work of men the industrial revolution brought about the growth of factories and the shift in most countries from agricultural based societies to urban based. Factory production also introduced the 'iron discipline of the clock': working hours lasting from sunrise till sunset became irrelevant.

It also vastly increased the national output (GDP) and wealth of countries that industrialised, even if the distribution of income became more unequal in the early stages.

The vast increase in output also inspired various visions of the future - some Utopian and socialist - of "a world of plenty for all", in which work would play a much less prominent part in the lives of most people - and be much less of a burden than in pre-industrial societies.