The Industrial Revolution was a special moment in our collective human history. It was a time where humans moved away from rural societies to create industrialized cities. Starting at the end of the 18th century, and going through a good portion of the 19th century, the industrial revolution gave rise to most of the machines we see and use today. Starting in England, this revolution sought to improve handheld machines that were inefficient and hard to work. This made work for certain industries easier, which dropped prices of products and service. This revolution gave rise, for the first time, to mass-produced products. Iron and textile industries were some of the industries affected most by the shift to machines. The revolution also brought about the first steam engine, which greatly altered the way in which we commute and ship goods. Even banking and communication changed for the better. There are many clear benefits of the Industrial Revolution; however, the change brought about some negative conditions for working and city living.

The Industrial Revolution also changed the way in which assembly machines were used. You can trace back rudimentary versions of assembly machines to the early 1100s. This was used by the Venetian Arsenal, which used the assembly machine to help create their boats. Ships we floated down a canal where workers would add to the construction as the ship passed. The techniques changed and improved through the 16th century. Historians states, that at the height of production, roughly 16,000 people were employed on one assembly line, and that they could create a boat in one day. Despite the efficiency of producing a boat in one day, employing 16,000 people is not economical. This is why assembly machines did not pick up until the industrial revolution.

The Industrial Revolution was able to create assembly machines in factories, while also adding extra machines to the assembly line. This meant that you need substantially less workers to do the same amount of work as a lot. This saved companies an incredible amount of money, by allowing those companies to have easy access to assembly machines. A good deal of industries used these machines, and they were able to revolutionize the world. Henry Ford used assembly machines to help make Ford Motor company the giant it is today. Without the use of these assembly lines, I wonder if we would be as dependent on cars as we are now.