The Industrial Revolution was a major technological, social and economic transformation, which started about 300 years ago. It was rooted in scientific discoveries and technical innovations that produced a significant shift in the global economy, moving it from an agricultural-based economy to a manufactured-based economy. This generated an exponential exploitation of natural resources and an accelerated growth in global human population, which led to the increase of the number of people living in urban centers, in detriment of those living in rural areas, as it was common for millennia since the Neolithic Revolution took place, about 12,000 years ago.
