Map showing the coalfields of Great Britain in the 19th century ... Coal was the fuel that powered factories during the Industrial Revolution. Image caption, The Newcomen steam engine was invented ...

“Britain is known as the cradle for the Industrial Revolution, but there are competing claims about why,” says Dr Ravshonbek Otojanov. “One claim is that it happened because Britain had a free-market ...

The Industrial ... A materials revolution also took root: Rapid advances in the manufacturing and refinement of iron lead to the construction of railways that crisscrossed Britain.