Who is Thomas Newcomen?

Answer 1

Thomas Newcomen was the inventor in 1720 of the first practical steam engine, put to use in draining mines. Naturally he built on the ideas of earlier suggestions. His machine was not particularly efficient, and about 1775, his invention was overtaken by the steam engine invented by James Watt.

Watt's machine was much more efficient, though the Newcomen engines continued to be used for many years after the arrival of Watt's improvement.

These two men may be stated as starting the Industrial Revolution, enabling coal to be used as an energy source, rather than brute animals.

An anecdote claims that Watt used quite strong horses for the development of the Horsepower as a unit, and consequently, it was not difficult for his horsepower machine to easily outperform the common pit pony of the day. Thus he 'under promised and over delivered'.