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Industrial Revolution may have been kick-started by drought

The 19th century transition to coal in Britain was thought to be driven by a lack of sites for water wheels but there were plenty of spots left – instead, drought may have made water flow less consistent and reliable than coal

By James Dinneen

25 October 2022

Vintage overshot water wheel. Cromford, Derbyshire, England, UK

A water wheel in Derbyshire, England

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The switch from water to coal-powered factories that set off the industrial revolution in 19th century Britain may not have been a result of a lack of suitable locations to build more water wheels as previously thought. Instead, droughts may have made water power less reliable and coal more attractive.

Historians battle over the precise timing of the transition in Britain from an agrarian economy powered by muscle, wood and water to a manufacturing economy powered by coal. They also disagree about the causes of …

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