James Watt’s steam engine had an enormous influence on the Industrial Revolution and the development of the modern world. The popular misconception is that the Scottish engineer, born in 1736 ...

Sixteen hundred years after the ancient Greek scientist first made mention of the untapped power of steam, the technology would become the hero and the engine that drove the Industrial Revolution.

Inventor Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) designed the world's first successful atmospheric steam engine. His invention earned him a place as one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution.

But it was his work on steam engines and their rapid deployment into various industries that helped kick-start the Industrial Revolution. According to the Scottish Science Hall of Fame ...

Arguably the most important development of the Industrial Revolution, the steam engine facilitated major advancements in the fields of mining, manufacturing, agriculture and transportation.