Who Invented the First Steam Engine?

The first idea of a steam engine was conceived by Hero of Alexandria, and the first practical steam engine was invented by Thomas Savery. The idea was then enhanced by a series of other inventors.

Hero of Alexandria

Hero, or Heron, was a scientist and inventor who lived between 20 and 62 AD. He invented machines that had practical uses, which included the force pump used in fire engines, a wind powered organ, and a vending machine that sold holy water. One interesting invention was called Hero’s fountain, or a siphon, produced a steam of water using air pressure.

He developed an aeolipile, also known as Hero’s engine, which spun around after being heated from the steam from hot water. This aeolipile is considered the first steam engine.

Thomas Savery

Thomas Savery was an English engineer and inventor. He wanted to find a way to pump water out of coal mines and patented his steam engine in 1698.

He based his idea on the pressure cooker which had been around for about 20 years, being invented by Frenchman Denis Papin. To get the water out of the mine, he had the water in a closed container and injected pressurized steam into the water. This made the water move up the mine shaft.

At that point, cold water was introduced to condense the steam, which created a vacuum and forced more water out of the mine. Savery also invented the odometer, for use on boats to measure the distance they travel.

Thomas Newcomen

Another English engineer, Thomas Newcomen, in collaboration with Thomas Savery, created an improvement to the steam engine in 1712. In Newcomen’s engine, steam was forced into a cylinder and then condensed with cold water. This created a vacuum inside the cylinder, and that change in atmospheric pressure moved a piston. He worked with John Calley and built the engine to pump water out of a mine shaft.

James Watt

A lot of people give credit to Scotsman James Watt for his improvements of the steam engine. He was given the job of repairing a Newcomen steam engine and thought he could improve its efficiency.

He came up with several significant improvements which made the steam engine useful in other industries. These improvements were so important that many assume he invented the steam engine. On a side note, the unit of power called a "watt," which is 1/746 of a horsepower, was named after him.

Applications of the Steam Engine

The steam engine soon had other applications:

the steam locomotive
the steam paddle boat
the steam powered car

Steam Locomotive

George Stephenson was born in 1781 and worked various jobs in the coal mines. In 1804, he took a job in a coal mine which used one of James Watt’s steam engines. In 1813, he knew that a locomotive was being developed for the mine, so he enlisted the aid of John Thorswall, a blacksmith, to help him build his first locomotive.

He tested his locomotive in July of 1814, and although it only went four miles per hour, it hauled the coal. This was the first steam engine powered locomotive to ever run on a railroad.

Steam Paddle Boat

Claude de Jouffroy of France, and others, built the first successful steamboat with paddles that rotated in 1776. John Fitch built the first steam powered boat in the U.S. in 1787 and later replaced the paddle wheels with oars. In 1807, Robert Fulton had the first steamship, named Clermont, that offered regular passenger service. It took people from New York City to Albany and back at an average of five miles per hour.

Steam Powered Car

Steam powered cars started with Oliver Evans, who received a patent for a steam powered land vehicle in 1789. A steam powered carriage was invented by Richard Trevithick of Britain, in 1801, and steam powered tractors pulled carriages in France until 1850.

Steam cars continued to improve into the 1900s. One famous car was the Stanley Steamer, built from 1896 to 1924. More of these were sold than gasoline powered cars from 1899 to 1905. In 1906, the Stanley Steamer achieved 127 miles per hour at Ormond Beach, Florida, setting a new land speed record. This week-long event was the forerunner of the Daytona 500.