James Watt
AD 1736~AD 1819
Scottish inventor James Watt, often called the inventor of the steam engine, was a key figure in the Industrial Revolution.
In fact, Watt was not the first person to invent the steam engine. Alexander Hero designed a similar machine in the first century AD. In 1698, Thomas Savery patented the use of a steam engine to pump water. In 1712, Englishman Thomas Newton patented a slightly improved steam engine. The Niukaomen steam engine was very inefficient and could only be used for coal mine drainage.
In 1764, Watt became interested in this kind of machine when he was repairing a Cowboy steam engine. Although Watt only had one year of training in mechanical manufacturing, he had extraordinary inventive genius. The improvements he made to the Niukaomen engine were so important that he is credited with inventing the first practical steam engine.
The first major innovation made by Watt was the addition of an independent condensing chamber, which was patented in 1769. He also insulated the steam cylinder from the outside world and invented the double-action engine in 1782. Together with a number of smaller innovations, these inventions made the steam engine at least four times more efficient. In fact, increased efficiency can mean the difference between a flashy device and a piece of machinery with huge industrial value.
In 1781, Watt also invented a set of gears that converted the reciprocating motion of the steam engine into rotational motion. This set of gears made the steam engine more versatile. Watt also invented the centrifugal governor (1788), the pressure gauge (1790), the counter, the dynamometer, the throttle valve and many other instruments that automatically adjusted the operating speed of the steam engine.
Watt himself did not have a good business acumen. But in 1775 he formed a partnership with a very capable businessman and engineer, Marlowe Boulton, to form the Watt & Boulton Company. The company produced a large number of steam engines, and both shareholders became rich.
The importance of the steam engine cannot be overestimated. Of course, there were many other inventions during the Industrial Revolution, such as mining, smelting, and many industrial machines. Several of the inventions, such as the pulley shuttle (John Kay, 1733) and the Leni spinning machine (James Hargraves method, 1764), were made before Watt's work. Most of the other inventions represented minor improvements, and none alone played a decisive role in the Industrial Revolution. However, the steam engine is different. It plays a key role. Without it, the Industrial Revolution would be completely different. Before it, although windmills and water wheels had certain uses, the main source of power had always been the human body. This factor severely limited industrial productivity. With the invention of the steam engine, this restriction was removed. Now that there is huge energy available for production, there is a huge increase in production. The oil embargo of 1973 made us realize how seriously a lack of energy would hinder the development of industry. This experience will give us a superficial understanding of the importance of Watt's invention to the industrial revolution.
In addition to being a source of power for factories, steam engines have many other important applications. In 1783, Marques Giuffroi d'Arbans successfully used a steam engine to drive a ship. In 1804 Richard Trevithick built the first steam locomotive. However, neither model was financially successful. Within a few decades, however, steamships and railroads revolutionized transportation by land and water.
Historically, the Industrial Revolution appeared at almost the same time as the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Although people seemed to have unclear understanding of the Industrial Revolution at the time, today we can see that its role in human daily life is obviously much more important than those two great political revolutions. Therefore, James Watt is one of the most influential figures in history.