The period in Great Britain between 1760 and 1830 was a time of tremendous progress. There was a new-found respect for individual rights. Groundbreaking discoveries in physics, chemistry and mechanics were improving medicine, manufacturing, transportation and power-generation. There was a constant stream of invention and innovation, all of which led to unprecedented increases in life-expectancy and the standard of living.

Of the numerous industrialists, inventors and scientists of 18th and 19th-century Britain, a handful stand out as heroes. These men deserve praise not only for their discoveries and inventions, but also for their ability to persevere against an indifferent public, entrenched unions, political bureaucracy and riotous gangs.

This course examines the ideas, achievements and moral character of several heroes of the British Industrial Revolution. Among those discussed are James Watt (inventor), Matthew Boulton (industrialist and financier), Josiah Wedgwood (industrialist and inventor) and Joseph Black (scientist).