The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, which occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing, and iron production processes, the increasing use of steam power and water power, the development of machine tools, and the rise of the mechanized factory system. Textiles were the dominant industry of the Industrial Revolution in terms of employment, the value of output, and capital invested. The textile industry was also the first to use modern production methods.

Source: Wikipedia