James Watt: Inventor & Mechanical Engineer

James Watt was born February 19, 1736 and died on August 19, 1889. As a child he was often sick. This kept James out of school. His mother had to teach him how to read and write. James suffered from severe headaches; so many people thought he was retarded. Little did they know that this child that most people didn’t consider normal would lead America to one of the most important stages The Industrial Revolution. It all started when he traveled to England to become a mechanic. Then he decided to come back to Scotland. This is where he met Joseph Black. Black though him something that he found interesting about steam.

This got Watt started in thinking about how to make Newcomms steam engine better. So in 1764 he got his first real challenge. He got one of Newcomms machines that could not be repaired. He repaired that machine without any problem. Watt had one problem; he had no idea why someone would be satisfied with a machine like this. James decided to make a practical steam engine, this resulted in cheaper transportation. This was possible because in 1869 Watt came up with the condenser (a chamber for condensing the steam) which he got patented. During all this commotion Watt decided to get married to his cousin Margaret Miller, who died nine years after their marriage. Although they still had six children together. Watt then decides to marry his second wife Ann MacGreagor, which they went on to have two children.

James was able to keep wealthy by teaming up with huge manufactures. They wanted James’s engine to do thing like pump water out of coal mines and putting them in locomotives to transport goods. The final part of the steam engine was a invented in 1790. It was a gauge that makes the steam much safer. It read the amount of steam pressure produced inside the tank. This prevented it from blowing up. From here on in he just sat back and sucked in all his money from his world recognized invention. In 1800 he decides to go into retirement. After his death Watt was recognized as “Father of the Steam Engine.” The SI unit of Horse-power, the Watt, was also named in memory of him. All these things which made the Industrial Revolution possible reflected back on this man James Watt.

William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)

William completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in 2013. He current serves as a lecturer, tutor and freelance writer. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, walking his dog and parasailing. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

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