What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us

Infobox Television
show_name = What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us


caption =
aka =
genre = Documentary
creator =
writer =
director = nowrap beginSimon Baker·wrap Jonathan Hassid·wrap Billie Pinknowrap end
creat_director =
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presenter = Dan Cruickshank
starring =
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country = UK
language = English
num_seasons =
num_episodes = 6
list_episodes =
distributor = BBC
exec_producer =
co_exec =
producer = nowrap beginPatricia Wheatley·wrap Stephen Haggard·wrap Jonathan Stampnowrap end
sup_producer =
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runtime = 23 minutes
channel = BBC Two
picture_format =
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first_run =
first_aired = October 7
last_aired = November 11, 2003
preceded_by = nowrap beginWhat the Stuarts Did for Usnowrap end
followed_by = nowrap beginWhat the Ancients Did for Usnowrap end
related = nowrap beginSeven Wonders Of The Industrial Worldnowrap end
website =
prod_website =
imdb_id = 0418443
tv_com_id =

"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 in autumn 2003.

Reception

Ratings

* Episode one (2003-10-07): 2.6 million viewers.cite web | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/oct/08/overnights | title=Wife Swap seduces 5m viewers | accessdate=2008-07-15| author= | last=Deans | first=Jason | authorlink= | coauthors= | date=2003-10-08 | year= | month= | format= | work= | publisher=The Guardian | pages= | language=English | doi= | archiveurl= | archivedate= | quote= ]
* Episode four (2003-10-28): 2.4 million viewers.cite web | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/oct/29/overnights | title=8m crash TV awards bash | accessdate=2008-07-15| author= | last=Cozens | first=Claire | authorlink= | coauthors= | date=2003-10-29 | year= | month= | format= | work= | publisher=The Guardian | pages= | language=English | doi= | archiveurl= | archivedate= | quote= ]

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 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 brining 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 Stevenson was the first self-propelled machine to outpace a galloping horse.
*The first aeroplane design and manned 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 Priestly 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

* cite book
date = Oct 16, 2003
title = What the Industrial Revolution Did for Us
last = Weightman
first = Gavin
publisher = BBC Books (hardcover)
id = ISBN 978-0563487944

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/ BBC History website]
* [http://www.open2.net/industrialrevolution/ Open University website]

References