Thomas Newcomen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1664[1] |
| Died | 5 August 1729 (aged 65)[2] London, England |
| Known for | Inventing the first practical steam engine |
– Steam is shown pink and water is blue.
– Valves move from open (green) to closed (red)
Thomas Newcomen (/ˈnjuːkʌmən/; February 1664[i][1] – 5 August 1729) was an English inventor who created the atmospheric engine, the first practical fuel-burning engine in 1712. He was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling.
He was born in Dartmouth, in Devon, England, to a merchant family and baptised at St. Saviour's Church on 28 February 1664.[3] In those days, flooding in coal and tin mines was a major problem. Newcomen was soon engaged in trying to improve ways to pump out the water from such mines. His ironmonger's business specialised in designing, manufacturing and selling tools for the mining industry.
- ^ a b Rolt & Allen (1977), p. 33.
- ^ "Thomas Newcomen (1663 – 1729)". BBC History. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-roman> tags or {{efn-lr}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-roman}} template or {{notelist-lr}} template (see the help page).