I had to do a biological “timeline” of life on Earth when I was in high school.
The task was laborious. It was Sister Christine Julie’s Advanced Biology class. I loved Sister CJ, as we called her. But I did not like this project.
I needed a refresher course before writing any more about this.
To briefly break things down. Here are our “periods” in history.
[[[ Prehistory
[=Paleolithic (Lower, Middle, Upper)
[=Mesolithic (Epipaleolithic)
[=Neolithic
[=Chalcolithic (or “Eneolithic”, “Copper Age”)
[[[ Ancient history (The Bronze and Iron Ages are not part of prehistory for all regions and civilizations who had adopted or developed a writing system.)
[=Bronze Age
[=Iron Age
[[[ Late Middle Ages
=Renaissance
[[[ Early modern history
[[[ Modern history
[=Industrial Age (1760–1970)
[=Machine Age (1880–1945)
.Age of Oil (1901–present)
.Jet Age (1940s)
[=Nuclear Age (a.k.a. Atomic Era) (1945/1950–present)[2]
[=Space Age (1957–present)
[=Information Age (1970–present)
.Internet Age (1990–present)
The reason I bring this up, is because icecaps are falling into oceans, forests are burning, people are dying from extreme heat, earthquakes are shattering cities, hurricanes are pulverizing lands, and on and on. We’ve screwed up our planet, and I wanted to try and discern when it all started.
I suggest that the beginning of modern history is the culprit.
People started to look for new ways to do old work. And the Industrial Age was born.
It boomed large. The Industrial Revolution was a transformative period in history. It gave us significant advancements in technology, industry, and society. Its exact origin is difficult to pinpoint, I think. But even still, most things associated with the Industrial Revolution began in Britain during the late 18th century, specifically around the 1760s. And from there, things spread to other parts of the world, including Europe and the United States.
The big push behind this revolution? Why do the work when a machine can do it for you? Yes, mechanization was one of the key elements of the Industrial Revolution. We can clearly see the big shift from manual labor to machines. Inventions like the spinning jenny (textile manufacturing), the water frame (another spinning machine), and the steam engine changed the course of history. The revolution was on.
Maybe more than anything, the power of steam started the downfall. That old steam engine, invented by James Watt in 1765, played a crucial role in powering factories. It also enabled more efficient transportation and production. It was only a matter of time until things like coal and oil would take its place.
Another colossal player came in 1793, when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. This invention increased cotton production, which led to a huge boom in textile manufacturing.
A few other things happened in the big swirling inventiveness of this time. For one, the factory system was born. Large-scale production started to occur under one roof. This centralized approach increased productivity. With this, however, we saw the abuse of labor. And child labor started to skyrocket. Children as young as six or seven years old began working long hours in hazardous conditions.
Another factor. People started to urbanize. There was a huge shift in migration from rural areas to cities.
And finally, an immense transportation revolution took place during the industrial revolution, with the development of canals, railroads, and steamships. All of this allowed goods and people to move faster and more efficiently across vast distances.
So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Planet Earth started to die when people turned to machines. The Industrial Revolution was a complex and multifaceted period that reshaped the world. But it definitely laid the groundwork for the abuse of our good planet.
And now, we are running out of time.
I hope someone can come up with a great invention to turn those hands back on the big clock staring down at us all.
“””””””””””””””””
“Don’t mistake activity with achievement.”
― John Wooden
“””””””””””””””””
“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it”
― Buddha
“””””””””””””””””
“In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.”
― Leo Tolstoy
“””””””””””””””””
When did the downfall begin. The heat turned up way back then.
