The first steam engine 1712

The century which was to follow would witness the beginnings of an industrial revolution in Britain which was to change the world. Arguably the most significant invention of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine. This was originally invented for draining mines, but was rapidly put to use in factories and later on the railways. The first successful engine was built in 1712 by Thomas Newcomen and developed over the next ninety years by James Watt and Richard Trevithick.