It is my opinion as an amateur historian, ( a very amateur historian and I do not pretend that this is an original opinion ), that the industrial revolution could not have happened without the discovery of America. There are several reasons for this. Two of them are maize and potatoes. The Europeans first came to America in 1492 but it wasn't until the 1700s that maize and potatoes were widely cultivated in Europe. Maize, (see also The Maize Page ) a Spanish name for corn which was the staple food for the native american cultures of Central America, is important because the yield is some ten times higher than wheat. Much of this yield was used in Europe as livestock feed which greatly increased both the availability and quality of meat. The potato which was found in South America is important because it can be grown in poor soil which is infertile for growing any other food.. This resulted in an exponential increase in population especially in Northern Europe which is heavily forested and has a relatively short growing season compared to southern Europe and is thus more dependent on meat. This led to a population explosion in Ireland which has a pronounced lack of good soil and an unfavorable agricultural climate.
      The industrial revolution could not have occurred without this huge increase in population which provided the raw material for factories and the markets for the increased production. The increased food supply also created a healthier and physically stronger population which was a necessity for factory work.