what was the industrial revolution 
the industrial revolution was a period of major mechanization and innovation that began in great britain during the mid 18th and early 19th centuries and later spread throughout much of the world the british industrial revolution was dominated by the exploitation of coal and iron 1the american industrial revolution sometimes referred to as the second industrial revolution began during the gilded age in the 1870s and continued through world war ii the era saw the mechanization of agriculture and manufacturing and the introduction of new modes of transportation including steamships the automobile and airplanes 234