Profile
James Watt: The Engineer Who Powered the Industrial Revolution
Scottish inventor and engineer, born in Greenock on 19 January 1736
James Watt was born in Greenock, Scotland, on 19 January 1736. He trained as an instrument maker in London and returned to work at the University of Glasgow.
In 1765 he hit on the idea of the separate condenser, greatly improving the Newcomen steam engine. He partnered with the Birmingham manufacturer Matthew Boulton in 1775.
Their firm produced engines that powered factories and mines. Watt also invented a copying press and the sun and planet gear, and he died in 1819 near Birmingham.
Career highlights
- 1736Born in Greenock, Scotland
- 1757Instrument maker: at the University of Glasgow
- 1765Separate condenser: his key idea
- 1769First patent: for his steam engine improvement
- 1775Partnership with Matthew Boulton
- 1781Rotary motion: engines can drive machinery
- 1788Centrifugal governor: controls engine speed
- 1819Dies near Birmingham
- 1882The watt: unit of power named after him
Did you know?He and Matthew Boulton appear together on the Bank of England £50 note issued in 2011.
