The blog post explores the oppressive labor laws in England from the 14th to 15th centuries, particularly focusing on how these laws created a 'prison for servants.' It discusses the historical context of the Black Death, which le...
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Anton Howes is the author of 'Age of Invention', a Substack publication that shares tales from the history of innovation and has tens of thousands of subscribers.
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The post analyzes the enforcement and evolution of England's labor laws during the Tudor period, emphasizing the economic consequences of trade policies and social unrest.
The blog post reflects on Joel Mokyr's Nobel Prize in Economics, highlighting his contributions to understanding the role of innovation in economic growth. It emphasizes Mokyr's qualitative approach to economic history, contrastin...
This blog post explores the history and significance of coal briquettes, particularly focusing on the contributions of Nicolas Romero, a largely forgotten inventor who introduced the concept to England. The post details Romero's b...
The text discusses the history of the use of coal in brewing and the process of malt drying in the late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth centuries in England. It explains the different techniques used and the challenges faced by ma...
The text discusses the shift from wood to coal as a fuel source in England during the 16th century. It refutes the common belief that deforestation led to the switch, and instead suggests that the rise of coal was due to the inven...
The text discusses the history of coal and wood as sources of fuel in England. It refutes the common belief that deforestation led to the switch from wood to coal as a fuel source. It explains that wood was not in short supply and...
The text discusses the historical significance of salt and its abundance in today's society. It explains the long and complicated story of how salt superabundance was achieved, focusing on the Baltic coast and the Dutch's role in ...
The text discusses the historical significance of salt and its importance in agriculture and food preservation. It explains the various methods of obtaining salt and the challenges faced in salt production in Bengal. It also delve...
The text discusses the importance of salt in the 17th and 18th centuries, highlighting its significance in agriculture, food preservation, and cooking. It also delves into the economic and political implications of salt, including...
The author is working on a series of posts exploring the history of various industries that experienced dramatic changes in the period 1550-1650. The first post will be about an industry that was transformed by the rise of coal an...
The author is fulfilling a promise to make transcripts and notes from the travel diaries of Samuel More available online. The diaries contain vivid descriptions of iron foundries, early railways, and the Staffordshire Potteries. T...
The author announces the release of an interactive article on the origins of the steam engine, which includes animated models and depictions of various devices and inventions related to the steam engine. The article aims to provid...
The text discusses the risks and responsibilities of reaching a wide public audience as a historian. It highlights the unpredictability of how historical work gets used and abused as it reaches a wider audience, and the need for c...
The text discusses a list of inventions from 1715 that were unknown to the ancient Greeks or Romans. It highlights the advancements made by the moderns in various fields such as optics, natural sciences, surgery, pharmaceuticals, ...
The author discusses the transition to burning coal and its impact on the British Industrial Revolution. He shares his research commissioned by Nesta, the UK's innovation agency, and highlights key findings. The post also mentions...
The text discusses the story of John Holker, a master of industrial espionage during the British Industrial Revolution. It details his life, from being a skilled cloth manufacturer to becoming a spy for the French government, task...
The author discusses the reproducibility crisis in history, citing examples of scholarly errors and the need for better incentives and institutions to combat historical inaccuracy. They also propose an 'Open History' initiative to...
The text discusses the replication crisis in history and science, highlighting the lack of reproducibility in historical research and the persistence of historical myths. The author emphasizes the need for historians to make archi...
The text discusses the story of Robert Bakewell, an English agricultural improver who developed a new breed of cattle, sheep, and horses. Bakewell's core objective was to make his animals as profitable as possible, and he used the...
The text discusses the discovery of copper in Anglesey, Wales, and the rise of Thomas Williams as the Copper King. It describes the impact of the copper mining on the economy and geography of Britain in the late 18th century.
The text discusses the controversy surrounding Henry Cort, a British inventor during the Industrial Revolution, and the claim that he stole iron-making improvements from enslaved Jamaican metallurgists. The author examines the evi...
The text discusses the use and application of water for mechanical power during the medieval world, long before the rise of the water-powered cotton mills of Lancashire. It explains the adaptation of waterwheels to natural waterco...
The text discusses the importance of transport infrastructure in boosting growth, focusing on the historical significance of transport infrastructure in Britain. It highlights the role of coal and grain in the development of citie...