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James Watt (1736-1819, Great Britain): Steam Engine

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Sometimes the combination of persistence and an inquisitive mind can turn a good idea into a universal breakthrough. Steam engines existed before James Watt started experimenting with steam power in his Glasgow workshop in the 1760s. But ultimately, it was Watt's improvements and insight that turned steam into a revolutionary power source.

Pretty good just wasn't good enough for James Watt. Working with a Newcomen engine - which had been the standard steam engine for the previous fifty years - Watt noticed a number of shortcomings in its construction. Watt found that 80 percent of the steam was consumed in heating the cylinder, which was injected with a stream of cold water. It was wasting enormous amounts of energy.

Watt decided that by keeping the cylinder at the same temperature as the steam and allowing the steam to condense in a separate chamber apart from the piston, he could dramatically increase the engine's performance. Working with some of the best metal craftsmen in the country, Watt devised a full-scale engine with advanced piston construction and operating power. The only challenge that remained was securing a patent for the invention.

Patents in James Watt's day required a large amount of funding, as the granting of patent rights involved an act of parliament. Luckily, Watt found a willing investor in factory magnate Matthew Boulton of Birmingham, with whom he founded the Boulton & Watt company. On 5 January 1769, Watt received English patent 913 for his steam engine.

Over the next few years, Watt and his partner introduced a number of key refinements to the steam engine, broadening its applications to produce rotational power for grinding, weaving and milling. The engines became standard in factories where engineers and even unskilled labourers could operate them, and steam became the power source that would fuel the Industrial Revolution.

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