Invented by James Hargreaves, the spinning jenny was the first machine to successfully simulate the action of spinning yarn by hand. The next, Sir Richard Arkwright's water frame machine, almost completely automated a process for producing strong, smooth yarn. The final step in the evolution of the spinning machine was the invention in 1779 of the spinning mule by another Englishman, Samuel Crompton.

Crompton, who was in charge of many of the household chores, was frustrated with the spinning jenny: though it allowed for the spinning of much finer yarn, the yarn was often too fine and would break while being spun. He decided to build his own spinning machine--a hybrid, combining the best aspects of both the jenny and the water frame.

Crompton spent five years and all of his money to develop the spinning mule (so called because of its hybrid nature). Unfortunately, Crompton was...