The UK dominated the world in coal production, shipbuilding, factory machinery and textile mills before WW1, and went into steady decline post-war. E.g. https:

The UK dominated the world in coal production, shipbuilding, factory machinery and textile mills before WW1, and went into steady decline post-war. E.g. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mikael-Hoeoek/publication/277983025/figure/fig1/AS:669494447980554@1536631323657/British-coal-production-from-1815-to-2009-The-maximum-production-was-reached-in-1913.ppm https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mikael-Hoeoek/publicati...