Steam Engines in the Industrial Revolution

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The Industrial Revolution took place in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This event caused a plethora of new inventions and a chain of events that led to betterment of the lives of people in this time. The invention of the steam engine made the connection of areas easier, leading to a transportation revolution, increased accessibility, cultural blending, and the spread of disease. began to use the steam engine for power. Although no official accounts of the harnessing the power of steam existed until the 1600s, a man named Hero living in Alexandria, Egypt attempted to create a steam-powered engine in 60 A.D (Hartman). Much later, Thomas Savery, in 1698, invented a hand-powered pump utilizing the vacuum created by condensing steam. This pump improved coal mines by helping retrieve water from mines. Thomas Newcomon, in 1712, improved upon Savery’s pump by adding a piston, keeping the condensing steam and the water apart. Having created the final and most efficient version of the engine, James Watt, who is credited with making the greatest improvement on the engine, inserted a condenser to avoid heating and cooling the cylinder every time. He included the rotating aspect of the engine, thus enabling it to be used in trains. Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot built a carriage with a steam engine in 1769 to be used on reads. Richard Trevithick used a carriage with a steam engine on railways for the first time, then built a steam powered train in 1803. Before the steam locomotive was in use, the steamboat, build by William Symington, was first used in 1802, but not used for passenger use until Robert Fulton put a steam engine in a passenger boat in 1807 (“Steam Engine”). The French were trying to create steamboats around 1783, but were hindered by ...

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Forrester, Rochelle. "The Invention of the Steam Engine." How Change Happens. RochelleForrester, 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Hartman, J.P. "Steam Engine." World Book Student. 2014. World Book. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.
"Railroads and Steamships (Overview)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
“Revolution, ". OED Online. Oxford University Press. Web.20 February 2014.
Rodrigue, Jean-Paul, Dr. "The Emergence of Mechanized Systems." The Geography of Transport. Hofsta University, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
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