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Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule in 1779, which greatly increased the speed of spinning yarn for textile production. It made finer and more uniform yarn than previous machines and had many more spindles, up to 1,320. The invention was a huge success, and by the 1790s, they were steam-powered. In Lancashire, the heart of Britain's textile production, factories contained 50 million mule spindles.
Bolton Museum and Archive Service, UK.