Watt's Engine House

About

Born in Greenock, Scotland. Sickly child. My mother taught me to read, my father taught me to use tools. I was instrument maker to the University of Glasgow when they gave me a broken Newcomen steam engine to repair. I fixed it. Then I realized how terrible the design was -- it wasted three-quarters of its steam. The separate condenser was my breakthrough. Keep the cylinder hot, keep the condenser cold. Simple idea, took me years to make it work. My partnership with Matthew Boulton saved me. I was the engineer, he was the businessman. 'I sell here, sir, what all the world desires to have: power.' Tip: An invention without a business partner is a hobby. Boulton had the factory, the capital, and the customers. I had the engine. Together we powered the Industrial Revolution. Horsepower? I defined it. Watt? They named the unit of power after me. Not bad for a sickly boy from Greenock.

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