The Inventors of Steam Power

1663

Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquis of Worcester 1663

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: One of the first notable inventors who began producing ideas which would lead future technology towards a workable steam engine was Edward Somerset. In 1663, he launched a new steam pump invention consisting of two devices which attached to a single boiler. One of the fundamental advantages of this inventor's creation was its cooling system which was able to force steam to condense. His idea housed a partial vacuum inside the chamber. The vacuum effectively formed a pump as it was able to draw water through a pipe. Edward Somerset developed a large version of his original steam pump invention which he built into the side of the first industrial scale engine which was called Raglan Castle.

1680

Christiaan Huygens 1680

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Christiaan Huygens was a Dutch scientist who was notable for his memoirs about a piston engine which described a gunpower engine that drives a piston.

1698

Thomas Savery 1698

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Thomas Savery
The first steam pump, or early steam engine, was patented by an English inventor and engineer called Thomas Savery in 1698. His invention had no moving parts or piston except from the taps, however, it still functioned by raising steam in the boiler which was released and allowed to escape through a downpipe which led to the water which had to be raised. The water became hot and the steam pressure increased, forcing the water upwards. Thomas Savery had cleverly created a vacuum by condensing steam which would force water into a chamber. Further steam pressure allowed the water to be pumped. Thomas Savery had made a great start on the early invention of the steam engine.

1705

Thomas Newcomen 1705

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Thomas Newcomen
Thomas Newcomen was an English inventor who was credited for his development of the first practical steam engine for pumping water. The functionality of his steam engine was different to Thomas Savery's earlier invention as the piston was located in a cylinder which was pulled down to the bottom by the vacuum upon water being injected. The main advantages of Thomas Newcomen's invention were its increased pumping height and its ability to drain deeper mines.

1718

John Theophilus Desaguliers 1718

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: John Theophilus
John Theophilus Desaguliers was a British engineer who was born in France. He was responsible for the development of the Thomas Savery's early steam pump. He improved the Savery engine by including safety valves and replacing the two separate valves with a two-way valve with the ability to operate steam and cold water.

1712 - 1780

The Newcomen Engine 1712 - 1780

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: The Newcomen Engine
Between 1712 - 1780, the Newcomen Engine was experimented on and developed by various engineers including Thomas Newcomen, Humphrey Potter, Henry Beighton, Josiah Hornblower, John Smeaton and James Pickard. By 1775, approximately 600 Newcomen engines had been constructed across the United Kingdom.

1765

James Watt 1765

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: James Watt
James Watt was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer who also greatly influenced the invention of the steam engine. In 1781, he patented a different type of steam engine which produced continual rotational movement and motion. James Watt's awesome invention allowed various types of manufacturing machinery to be successfully powered. This was a great step forward in history, one which influenced the transition to an entirely new manufacturing process; an important process which would contribute to the Industrial Revolution. By the early 1880's it had become possible to power railway locomotives by applying a steam engine.

1765 - 1800

Watt's Engine 1765 - 1800

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Watt's Engine
Between 1765 - 1800, various engineers worked on James Watt's Engine, the following list of names includes the engineers that worked on Watt's engine, making important developments and improvements to its design, from 1765 - 1800: James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Ivan Polzunov, John Wilkinson, Jonathan Hornblower, William Murdoch, Nathan Read, William Bull and Richard Trevithick. James watt and Matthew Boulton formed a partnership and by 1776 they had built the first commercial Watt and Boulton engine.

1801

Oliver Evans 1801

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Oliver Evans
In 1801, Oliver Evans, an American inventor and engineer, built the United State’s first high pressure steam engine.

1801 Richard Trevithick 1801

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick, a British inventor and mining engineer who had built the first high pressure steam engine in the world, built the ‘Puffing Devil’ in 1801. The Puffing Devil was a full size steam road locomotive. It was demonstrated on Christmas Eve by Richard Trevithick when he successfully carried 6 passengers.

1804

Arthur Woolf 1804

Facts about the Inventors of Steam Power: Arthur Woolf
Arthur Woolf, a British engineer and inventor, created a high-pressure compound steam engine in 1804. This became his most famous invention.