James Hargreaves made scientific history by inventing what?

The Spinning jenny was invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves ( (c. 1720 – 22 April 1778)), a cotton weaver, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. He invented the first successful multi-spindle spinning machine. The early jennies were awkward to operate and required considerable skill. Within a few years, many improvements had been made to the basic design.

The idea for the spinning jenny is said to have come from the inventor seeing a one-thread wheel overturned upon the floor when both the wheel and the spindle continued to revolve.

Hargreaves kept the machine secret for some time but produced a number for his own growing industry. The price of yarn fell, angering the large spinning community in Blackburn. Eventually, they broke into his house and smashed his machines, forcing him to flee to Nottingham in 1768. This was a centre for the hosiery industry, and knitted silks, cottons and wool. There he set up shop producing jennies in secret for one Mr Shipley, with the assistance of a joiner named Thomas James. He and James set up a textile business.