James Watt
James Watt (January 19, 1736 - August 19, 1819) was a Scottish mathematician and engineer. He did not invent the first steam engine, but he did modify it to work better. There were other patented steam engines (such as the Savery and Newcomen steam engines) in use by the time Watt started his work on them. His major contribution is in developing the modern form of the steam engine. The Watt steam engine is credited for driving the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.James Watt was a brilliant engineer and he also transformed the Newcomen engine.
Today, most people honor him by naming a unit of power, the watt, after him.
[change] Biography
James Watt was born on 19 January 1736 in Greenock, Renfrewshire, a seaport on the Firth of Clyde. His father was a shipwright, ship owner and contractor, and served as the town's chief baillie, while his mother, Agnes Muirhead, came from a distinguished family and was well educated. Both were Presbyterians and strong Covenanters. Watt's grandfather, Thomas Watt, was a taught mathematics and baillie to the Baron of Cartsburn. Watt did not go to school every day. At first, he was mostly schooled at home by his mother but later he attended Greenock grammar school.[1] He exhibited great manual dexterity and an aptitude for mathematics, although Latin and Greek failed to interest him, and he absorbed the legends and lore of the Scottish people.
[change] Other websites
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[change] References
- ↑ Tann, Jennifer (2004). "James Watt (1736–1819)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
