Page 47 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

The need to find a different
fuel eventually led to the success
of Abraham Darby in England,
who in 1709 discovered how to
use coke in a furnace instead of
charcoal. Because coke was made
from coal, and coal was available
in huge amounts, the price of fuel
for making iron fell dramatically.
This led to a huge increase in the
amount of iron made. By 1740 a
reliable way of making steel in a special heat-resistant bowl called a crucible had been found. These changes were a vital part of the time that came to be known as the industrial revolution.
During the 19th century the main changes were
in making iron and steel on a large scale. The blast furnace was invented by Henry Bessemer in 1855. The large-scale production of steel – using the open hearth furnace – was also developed at this time by William and Friedrich Siemens in Britain and by Pierre and Émile Martin in France.
(Below) Steam-driven engines and machinery revolutionized the speed at which things could be done, from mass production to bringing in the harvest.
(Above) Abraham Darby constructed the world’s first iron bridge between 1777 and 1779 in Shropshire, England. The nearby town called itself Ironbridge. Since people were unused to working in large sizes of metal, the structure was actually based on the design the bridge would have had if it had been made of wood. The bridge is still used as a footbridge to this day.
47