James Watt was born on 19 January 1736 in Greenock. A Scottish instrument maker and engineer, Watt made the steam engine efficient enough to power industry. While repairing a model of a Newcomen engine at the University of Glasgow, he saw how much heat was wasted and devised a separate condenser, patented in 1769. Partnering with the Birmingham manufacturer Matthew Boulton, he went on to develop engines that could turn a rotating shaft, allowing them to drive mills, factories and later transport. He also invented a copying press and popularized the term horsepower. The unit of power, the watt, is named in his honour.
Before and after
- 1735Linnaeus publishes Systema Naturae
- 19 October 1735Birth of John Adams
- from 1736 to 1796Afsharid dynasty
- from 1736 to 1739Fifth Russo-Turkish War
- 19 January 1736Birth of James Watt
- 25 January 1736Birth of Joseph-Louis Lagrange
- 14 June 1736Birth of Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
- 29 January 1737Birth of Thomas Paine
- 8 May 1737Birth of Edward Gibbon
More in Science & technology
- 1543Vesalius publishes De humani corporis fabrica
- 24 February 1582Pope Gregory XIII reforms the calendar
- 1628William Harvey describes the circulation of the blood
- 1642Invention of Pascal's calculator
- 25 December 1642Birth of Isaac Newton
- 9 October 1676Leeuwenhoek discovers microorganisms
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.