1712
Europe · Science
The first practical steam engine. It pumps water out of coal mines — and does little else.
Newcomen's Atmospheric Engine
January 1, 1712
At Dudley Castle in Staffordshire, Thomas Newcomen's steam engine pumped water from a coal mine for the first time. Its giant rocking beam, fed by condensed steam, would soon rise over pits across Britain. Inefficient, colossal, indispensable, it was the first practical power source independent of wind, water, or muscle.