James Watt died on 25 August 1819 in Heathfield Hall, aged 83. 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
- 31 May 1819Birth of Walt Whitman
- 12 June 1819Discovery of 7P/Pons–Winnecke
- 20 June 1819Birth of Jacques Offenbach
- 1 August 1819Birth of Herman Melville
- 25 August 1819Death of James Watt
- 13 September 1819Birth of Clara Schumann
- from 3 November 1819 to 22 December 1819Persian Gulf campaign of 1819
- 19 November 1819Construction of Museo del Prado
- 22 November 1819Birth of George Eliot
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The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.