Hargreaves, James

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Hargreaves, James (1722–1778) English inventor and industrialist. In 1764 he invented the spinning jenny, a machine that greatly speeded the production of cotton by simultaneously spinning eight threads. In 1768 local spinners destroyed the machine, fearing that it threatened their jobs. Hargreaves moved to Nottingham and, with Thomas James, built a spinning mill and became one of the first great factory owners.

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