Historians usually say the Industrial Revolution began around the mid‑1700s (often dated to about 1760) and ran through the early to mid‑1800s, with a later “second” phase into the early 20th century.

Quick Scoop

Core dates in one line

  • First Industrial Revolution: roughly 1760–1830, starting in Great Britain.
  • Second Industrial Revolution: roughly mid‑1800s to early 1900s, spreading across Europe, North America, and Japan.

What “when was it?” actually means

People ask “when was the Industrial Revolution?” but it was not a single year or event; it was a long transition from handcraft and farming to machine‑based industry. Most textbooks simplify it to “late 18th to 19th century,” with Britain as the starting point before it spread globally.

Mini timeline snapshot

  • 18th century: Industrial changes start in Britain, especially textiles and steam power.
  • Around 1760s: Often used as the symbolic “start,” with machines like the spinning jenny and improved steam engines.
  • By about 1830s: First phase stabilizes; railways, factories, and urban industrial life are well established in Britain.
  • Mid‑1800s–early 1900s: Second Industrial Revolution adds steel, electricity, chemicals, and mass production, and spreads widely beyond Britain.

If you just need a quick fact for homework or a forum post, you can safely say:
“The Industrial Revolution ran roughly from the mid‑1700s (around 1760) to the mid‑1800s, with a second phase into the early 1900s.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.