James Watt

Full Name-

James Watt 

Born-

30 January 1736 

Died-
25 August 1819

• Known for-

1. Watt steam engine (improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1781, )
2. Separate condenser 
3. Parallel motion 
4. Sun and planet gear (with William Murdoch) 
5. Centrifugal governor 
6. Indicator diagram (with John Southern)
7. He developed the concept of horsepower, and the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.

• Honours-

1. On 29 May 2009 the Bank of England announced that Boulton and Watt would appear on a new £50 note

• Watt was the sole inventor listed on his six patents:

1. Patent 913 A method of lessening the consumption of steam in a steam engines-the separate condenser. The specification was accepted on 5 January 1769; enrolled on 29 April 1769, and extended to June 1800 by an act of Parliament in 1775.
2. Patent 1,244 A new method of copying letters; The specification was accepted on 14 February 1780 and enrolled on 31 May 1780.
3. Patent 1,306 New methods to produce a continued rotation motion – sun and planet. The specification was accepted on 25 October 1781 and enrolled on 23 February 1782.
4. Patent 1,321 New improvements upon steam engines – expansive and double acting. The specification was accepted on 14 March 1782 and enrolled on 4 July 1782.
5. Patent 1,432 New improvements upon steam engines – three bar motion and steam carriage. The specification was accepted on 28 April 1782 and enrolled on 25 August 1782.
6. Patent 1,485 Newly improved methods of constructing furnaces. The specification was accepted on 14 June 1785 and enrolled on 9 July 1785.

• Other Information-

There is a popular story that Watt was inspired to invent the steam engine by seeing a kettle boiling, the steam forcing the lid to rise and thus showing Watt the power of steam. This story is told in many forms; in some Watt is a young lad, in others he is older, sometimes it's his mother's kettle, sometimes his aunt's. James Watt, of course, did not actually invent the steam engine, as the story implies, but dramatically improved the efficiency of the existing Newcomen engine by adding a separate condenser. This is difficult to explain to someone not familiar with concepts of heat and thermal efficiency. It appears that the story of Watt and the kettle was created, possibly by Watt's son James Watt Jr., and persists because it is easy for children to understand and remember.