Steam Engine
The industrial revolution on the European continent began in Belgium. Belgium had traditionally enjoyed a vibrant trading tradition for many years. Flanders had a flourishing textile production . Walloon had an increasing growth of iron processing. South and East of Belgium contains large coal reserves. These factors, together with the creation of the steam engine, were keys to the growth of Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution brought a shift from cottage industry production to mass production from factories with various powerful and specialized machinery. It resulted to the improvement of transportation, communication, and banking systems.