Legend has it that James Watt carried out his first experiments
when he was just six years old! Allegedly he experimented with his
mum's tea kettle to find out more about the properties of steam.
Whether that's true or not, we don't know, but James Watt certainly
changed the course of British history with his improvements to the
steam engine.
Famous for:
- Improving the design of the steam engine. Watt's steam engine
became the main energy source in Britain's Industrial Revolution.
This transformed British society - we moved from the countryside
into the cities.
- Invented the term "horsepower" - so when you hear someone say
"My Ferrari has 650 horsepower", you can thank James Watt!
- Has a unit of power named after him - the
Watt.
Pretty impressive for a guy who hardly went to school and didn't
even finish an apprenticeship!
Science Museum London has recreated James Watt's workshop so you
can discover more about the "hero of Britain's Industrial
Revolution". Find out more at the Science Museum
website.
This picture shows how Watt's steam engine works. Click on the
numbers to find out more:
I'm sorry, it appears you do not have flash installed.