Collection: The invention of the steam engine was 1600 years earlier?

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This picture comes from the "Construction Map of Steaming and its components" published in 1868. It depicts a steam locomotive and the painter is engineer Malden.

When it comes to steam engines, many people think it was invented by the British James Watt. In fact, as early as the 1st century AD, the ancient Greek "Alexander's Hero" invented the world's first steam engine. However, the steam engine could only be used to promote a hollow ball at the time, and there was no practical purpose at all.

It was not until 1712 that after the improvement of the British New Kimon, the steam engine began to use value and was used to pump water.

By 1765, James Watt made greatly improved on the basis of the Newkomon steam engine, which greatly improved the efficiency of the steam engine. This improvement brought a qualitative leap to the steam engine and promoted the first industrial revolution. By the 19th century, the Watt steam engine had been widely used in vehicles, ships and other transportation.

Today, although we seem to be invisible to steam engines, we still depend on it. For example, the reason why the thermal power plants and nuclear power plants can run are still steam engine technology, relying on boiler to drive the generator. For a long time in the future, I am afraid that the steam engine will still play a vital role in our human life.

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