The first Industrial Revolution started in 18th century Great Britain because it had new technology, advanced transportation, a colonial market to sell goods to, and strong financial institutes that could invest in new inventions and factories. Europe fell behind Great Britain in industrial production because of the European craftsman guild regulations, custom and barrier tolls, transportation issues, and the fact that Europeans were more cautious and did not take risks involved with new inventions.
The Industrial Revolution was a time of great, life-changing inventions. The invention such as the furnace, the steam engine, the Spinning Jenny, and the "Rocket" locomotive changed the world forever. Railroads and steam locomotives far surpassed ships and canals in importance during the Industrial Revolution. There were both positive and negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution. Positive impacts were greater employment opportunities, population boom, the use of machines rather than manual labor, more affordable products, huge advancements in medicine, and the average person could attain more wealth and had an easier life. Negative impacts were no labor laws, pollution, and dangerous working conditions.