What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us

What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us is a BBC documentary series produced in conjunction with the Open University that examines the impact of the Industrial Revolution on modern society. It was originally broadcast on BBC Two from 7 October to 11 November 2003.

Reception

Ratings

• Episode one this episode produced the lowest ratings of the series.(2003-10-07): 2.6 million viewers.
• Episode four (2003-10-28): 2.4 million viewers.

Episodes

Episode one: Material World

Cruickshank travels around Britain to introduce the idea and inventions of the Industrial Revolution that created the modern material world.

• Iron masters such as Abraham Darby I and John Iron Mad Wilkinson laid the foundations of modern metallic constructions.
• The atmospheric engine built by Thomas Newcomen to pump water from the mines powered the Industrial Revolution.
• Plantations conceived by Joseph Banks in New Zealand and Australia with James Cook sowed the seeds of the global economy.
• Mechanisation emerged in the cotton industry from John Kay's flying shuttle and James Hargreaves’ spinning jenny.
• China clay discovered by William Cookworthy allowed British potters to create the first British porcelain.
• Mass production emerged from all these innovations bringing the good life of the elite to the masses.

Episode two: Working Wonders

Cruickshank travels around Britain to introduce the idea and inventions of the Industrial Revolution that created the features of modern working life.

• Innovations in agriculture allowed farmers to produce enough food to allow the expanding population to flourish.
• Civil engineering emerged from the experiments in waterwheel efficiencies undertaken by John Smeeton.
• The steam engine was developed from the Newcombe engine by James Watt and Matthew Boulton in the first international corporation.
• The letter copying press developed by Watt to deal with the mass of paper work at this business was the original photocopier.
• The division of labour discussed by Adam Smith led to the production line developed by Bolton in early management consultancy.
• The Jacquard loom of Joseph Marie Jacquard programmed with punch cards was the forerunner of the modern computer.

Episode three: On the Move

Cruickshank travels around Britain to introduce the idea and inventions of the Industrial Revolution that created the features of modern transportation.

• The elliptical spring of Obadiah Eliott revolutionised carriage design with the first suspension.
• A national road network constructed by John Loudon McAdam and Thomas Telford opened up the country to trade and travel.
• The suspension bridge constructed by Telford across the Menai Strait was the most ambitious in the world.
• The wind powered charvolant of George Pocock opened people's eyes to forms of power other than the horse.
• The high-pressure steam engine of Richard Trevithick powered the first steam carriage and railway locomotive.
• The Rocket of George & Robert Stephenson was the first self-propelled machine to outpace a galloping horse.
• The first aeroplane design and crewed flight came out of George Cayley's study of aerodynamics.

Episode four: Modern Medicine

Cruickshank travels around Britain to introduce the idea and inventions of the Industrial Revolution that created the features of modern medicine.

• Modern medicine emerged from William Withering's scientific study of traditional folk remedies.
• The ventilator of Stephen Hales helped to reduce airborne diseases with the first air-conditioning.
• Dephlogisticated air discovered by Joseph Priestley in experiments with a giant lens was later renamed Oxygen.
• Vaccinations were developed by Edward Jenner from his observation of milkmaids to fight Smallpox.
• The stethoscope of René Laennec allowed Charles Thackerer to examine the effects of industry on workers' health.
• The Anatomy Act allowed doctors like William Hunter make huge advancements in understanding the human body.

Episode five: War Machine

Cruickshank travels around Britain to introduce the idea and inventions of the Industrial Revolution that created the features of modern warfare.

• The riflemen were the first to wear green as camouflage and taught to use their initiative.
• Rifling was used on the Baker rifle by Ezekiel Baker] to increase distance and accuracy.
• The mechanised production line of Marc Brunel and Henry Maudslay revolutionised industry.
• The first mass-produced precision-made object with interchangeable-parts was the Enfield rifle.
• The torpedo delivered by the Turtle of David Bushnell was the beginning of submarine warfare.
• The boring machine of John Iron Mad Wilkinson revolutionised the casting of cannons and the steam engine.
• Wrought-iron was used for the iron-hulled HMS Warrior and its rifled Armstrong Guns.

Episode six: City Living

Cruickshank travels around Britain to introduce the idea and inventions of the Industrial Revolution that created the features of modern city life.

• Standardised house construction with integrated services were created by architects of the Westend housing boom like Thomas Cubitt.
• High-pressure water from cast-iron pipes specified in the 1817 Metropolitan Paving Act led to the modern bathroom.
• Consumer choice emerged through the flat fascias and plate glass windows of the arcades and parades of modern shop fronts.
• Marketing emerged from the catalogues, hoardings and door-to-door salesmen of Josiah Wedgwood and Thomas Bentley.
• The steam press of Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer allowed The Times to dramatically increase circulation.
• Interior design emerged from the new brightly coloured dyes such as the chrome yellow of Louis Vauquelin.

Companion book

External links

• BBC History website
• Open University website

References