Richard Arkwright
/ˌrɪtʃəd ˈɑːkraɪt/
/ˌrɪtʃərd ˈɑːrkraɪt/
- (1732-92) an English businessman who invented a machine using water power for spinning cotton, which had been spun by hand until then. He built his own factory, and became one of the early leaders of the Industrial Revolution. He was made a knight in 1786.