In the late 1750s, Watt met Joseph Black, who then was Professor of Chemistry at Glasgow University. The men became friends, and Watt provided model engines for Black to use in his lectures on the properties of heat. One Sunday in 1765, Watt was struck by the idea that was to spark the Industrial Revolution. Walking in a park near the Clyde, he suddenly he realised how he could make the standard Newcomen steam engine more efficient. He could use a separate chamber to condense steam without cooling the rest of the engine. He patented his steam engine condensing chamber in 1769. In 1774, Watt started a business in Birmingham with investor Matthew Boulton to manufacture his improved steam engine. The Boulton & Watt Company produced steam engines that could be used anywhere, and demand for them was high. Watt and Boulton became leading figures in the Industrial Revolution. Watt continued to make improvements to steam engines, and patented other important inventions, such as the rotary engine and a steam locomotive. His achievements were recognised by fellow scientists. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of London, and became a Foreign Associate of the
In the late 1750s, Watt met Joseph Black, who then was Professor of Chemistry at Glasgow University. The men became friends, and Watt provided model engines for Black to use in his lectures on the properties of heat. One Sunday in 1765, Watt was struck by the idea that was to spark the Industrial Revolution. Walking in a park near the Clyde, he suddenly he realised how he could make the standard Newcomen steam engine more efficient. He could use a separate chamber to condense steam without cooling the rest of the engine. He patented his steam engine condensing chamber in 1769. In 1774, Watt started a business in Birmingham with investor Matthew Boulton to manufacture his improved steam engine. The Boulton & Watt Company produced steam engines that could be used anywhere, and demand for them was high. Watt and Boulton became leading figures in the Industrial Revolution. Watt continued to make improvements to steam engines, and patented other important inventions, such as the rotary engine and a steam locomotive. His achievements were recognised by fellow scientists. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of London, and became a Foreign Associate of the