Thomas Newcomen (circa 24 February 1664 – 5 August 1729) created the first practical steam engine for pumping water, the Newcomen steam engine. He was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling. He was born in Dartmouth, Devon, England, near a part of the country noted for its tin mines. Flooding was a major problem, limiting the depth at which the mineral could be mined.
Read more about Thomas Newcomen: Religious Life, Developing The Steam Engine, Later Life, and Death, After Newcomen, Surviving Newcomen Engines, Recognition
Famous quotes containing the word thomas:
“Listen. The minstrels sing
In the departed villages. The nightingale,
Dust in the buried wood, flies on the grains of her wings
And spells on the winds of the dead his winter’s tale.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)