the.com/steam engine
boiling water, harnessed until it agreed to do the walking for us.
means a machine that converts heat energy from steam pressure into mechanical motion, usually by pushing a piston.
from tinkered into practicality by thomas newcomen in 1712 to pump water out of flooded coal mines, then reengineered by james watt in the 1770s with a separate condenser that stopped it wasting most of its own heat.
watt unitnamed after james watt, who hated inefficiency
horsepower originwatt invented it to sell engines to skeptics
newcomen efficiencyunder 1 percent of heat became useful work
rocket speedstephenson's rocket hit 30 mph in 1829
for instance
stephenson's rocket — won the rainhill trials in 1829, launching passenger rail
the flying scotsman — first steam locomotive to officially hit 100 mph, 1934
watt's beam engine — powered factories and mines across britain from the 1780s
ss great western — brunel's 1838 steamship that crossed the atlantic on coal power