The dawn of industry - Reader's Digest

This fifth volume in "The Adventure of Discovery & Inventions" series covers the years 1750 to 1810, the dawn of the industrial age. By the mid-18th century, it seemed scientists were capable of rising to almost any challenge. They proved the secrets of electricity, even as steam power was being harnessed to fuel the growth in mechanised industry. Astronomy expanded its horizons with the discovery of Uranus, a new planet in the solar system. Meanwhile, first steps were being taken in long-distance communication with the optical telegraph. The turmoil of the French Revolution produced innovations as diverse as the guillotine and the metric system, before giving way to Napoleon, who harnessed scientists to the service of the state. Maritime exploration entered a new scientific age, while the development of the first steamships was a step towards freeing sea travel from dependence on the wind.