I wouldn't underestimate the importance of improved steel-making technology to the spread of the industrial revolution. All the machinery that made up the indu

I wouldn't underestimate the importance of improved steel-making technology to the spread of the industrial revolution. All the machinery that made up the industrial revolution - pressurized steam engines, water turbines and pumps, etc. - relied heavily on high-quality steel that wouldn't fracture or explode under constant use. Railroads relied on steel rails, as did shipping and the spread of industrial methods of waging war.