ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Secondary products revolution

Do you know what a revolution is? It’s when something big happens and changes the way things were before. The secondary products revolution was a big change in the way people made and used things.

Before this revolution, people would mostly use what they got from nature to make things, like wood from trees to build houses and wool from sheep to make clothes. But during the secondary products revolution, people started to use things that they got from animals for more than just food.

For example, did you know that cows not only give us milk and meat, but also leather for making shoes and bags? And did you know that bees not only make honey, but also wax for making candles and lip balm? Even horses have a job beyond just helping us get from one place to another. They were used to plow fields and transport goods.

So during the secondary products revolution, people started to use more parts of animals for different things. And this made life easier for them because they could make more things with less waste.

And that’s the secondary products revolution in a nutshell.