Victorian Technology and Inventions - Simple History Sunday, December 3, 2023 Timeline World War I World War II The Cold War The Victorians Colonial America The Tudors Ancient Egypt Space Race Vietnam War Ancient China Characters Books T-Shirts Videos Fans Fan Art About About The Historians and artists Support the Show The Victorians Time Travel Victorian Technology and Inventions October 8, 2015June 13, 2017 Florence Belbin inventions, penny farthing, steam Sharing is caring! Tweet Share Pin Mail Share Victorians are well known for their inventions and the huge advances in technology that took place over Queen Victoria’s reign. These inventions helped both rich and poor people. Communication was made easier when the electric telegraph was developed in 1858 followed by the telephone in 1876. Bicycles, cars, steam powered boats and trains meant that people could travel further than ever before. Other Victorian inventions include the light bulb, typewriters, sewing machines, radios and the toilet. The Victorian Age The Victorian age saw advances in medicine, science and technology, as well as huge population growth. Britain became the world’s most powerful nation, but life was not easy for everyone. What is clear is that when Victoria died in 1901, Britain had changed greatly since she had become queen, almost 64 years previously. Photography In 1826 the first ever photograph was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor. The image was taken at his family home and he gave it the title ‘View from the Window at Le Gras.’ During the Victorian age, photography continued to develop but was still very different from the instant images we can take today. People had to sit still for a very long time – photos took several hours to capture – which can explain why Victorians very rarely smiled in photographs! Queen Victoria became the first monarch to ever be photographed, and by the end of her reign George Eastman had set up the Kodak company, and cameras were sold for the first time. Telephone An accidental breakthrough by Alexander Graham Bell and his lab assistant, Thomas Watson, led to the invention of the telephone, which was patented in 1876. The pair were experimenting with two springs that were connected by a long piece of wire. They were hoping that the movement of one spring would result in the movement of the other, but instead the sound of the spring travelled along the wire. Continued work on the invention meant that voices too could eventually be heard across the wire – the first words spoken via their telephone by Bell were ‘Mr. Watson, come here I want to see you.’ Bell visited Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in January 1878 to show Queen Victoria his invention. She was impressed and went on to purchase a set of telephones, calling them ‘most extraordinary.’ The Queen recorded in her diary that she ‘had been put in communication with Osborne Cottage & we talked with Sir Thomas & Mary Biddulph, also heard some singing quite plainly.’ Penny farthing The penny farthing was the first machine to be called a ‘bicycle.’ It had a very large front wheel, which was almost six foot tall and a much smaller back wheel. It was invented by James Starley, a British engineer and was used until around 1880, when bicycles with two wheels of equal size were developed. The penny farthing was fairly dangerous due to the great height of the wheel and the fact that it had no brakes! Sewing Machine Elias Howe worked for five years to develop the first sewing machine, which was patented in 1846. The machine did not get much attention in America, so he sold the patent rights in England for £250. Sewing machines were used during the industrial revolution to increase production speed. Electric Light In 1880 Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, which went on the replace gaslight all over the world. As Edison was already a proficient inventor, he received $30,000 to fund his research. A light bulb in the 1880s cost the same as the average week’s wages, and to use one a home generator was needed. It wasn’t until the National Grid was created in the 1930s, 29 years after Victoria’s death, that electricity became something that everyone could use. Author Recent Posts Florence Belbin Latest posts by Florence Belbin (see all) Travel and Holidays in Victorian Britain - October 11, 2015 Victorian family life - October 9, 2015 Victorian Technology and Inventions - October 8, 2015 0 Shares Tweet Share Pin Mail Share Share Check out: Combating Juvenile Crime in Victorian Britain Combating Juvenile Crime in Victorian Britain Throughout the entire duration of the 19th century, juvenile crime in Britain had become more and more a cause for Victorian Medicine Victorian Medicine A simple, easy-to-follow summary of Victorian medicine and medical practice. 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Families took trains to t The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution When Victoria became queen over 80% of people lived in the countryside and did jobs such as farming or weaving. by shareaholic . ← Weapons of the First World War: Guns Victorian family life →