Which inventor created the spinning jenny, a multi-spindle textile machine patented in 1770?

James Hargreaves created the spinning jenny, a multi-spindle textile machine patented in 1770.

The spinning jenny allowed one worker to operate several spindles at once, greatly increasing the amount of yarn that could be spun compared with a traditional spinning wheel. Hargreaves, a Lancashire weaver and carpenter, is generally credited with developing the machine around 1764.

The machine helped accelerate textile production during the Industrial Revolution. Its yarn was relatively weak, so it was especially useful for producing the weft, or crosswise threads, of cloth rather than strong warp threads.

The spinning jenny is often confused with other textile inventions. Richard Arkwright developed the water frame, Samuel Crompton combined features of the jenny and water frame in the spinning mule, and Edmund Cartwright patented a power loom. These machines formed part of a broader transformation in cotton manufacturing.