When economies become industrialized two centuries later, unions begin to organize by industry rather than by craft. By the end of the 20th century, their power appears to wane. Steam engine - 1711. If the millennial clock comes with chimes, they peal loudly this year when British inventor Thomas Newcomen invents the first practical steam engine. The machine inaugurates the Industrial Revolution, which soon sends thousands of workers into factories and thousands more into coal mines.
Work speeds up.
The pace of an employee's day is no longer set by himself and the sun, but by machines and the clock. The factory, which produces such things as cloth and shoes, also begins to challenge the craftsmen who produce these things. No longer dependent on the forces of nature, transportation becomes regularly scheduled. Perhaps no other invention changes the workplace so dramatically in these 1,000 years. In this landmark book, philosopher Adam Smith provides the first comprehensive rationale for a capitalist rather than a mercantile economy.