5 - Are You an Inventor?

The Industrial Revolution was in part powered by the innovation of people who invented machines to solve problems.

Watch this video about the Industrial Revolution from the BBC. The presenter Andrew Marr is mostly positive about the effect of industrial growth on society at large, although he does point out that there were also 'casualties' of the process. What do you think?

The process of industrialisation, the spread of new inventions and new ideas meant the world changed very quickly during the time.

Our world today looks very different again, and many inventions created since the Victorian period have altered the way we live our lives.

For instance, talking to friends and family before the invention of internet communications was a lot slower and more difficult. We had to write one another letters, or telegrams.

Try writing a list of all the inventions you are most grateful for in your life.

What would your life be like without these things?

Now think of a problem that you would like to solve and invent a machine to solve it for you – it doesn’t have to work or make sense, just be creative.