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James Watt

Historical Figure

James Watt

1736–1819

Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist (1736–1819)

Enlightenment

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Key Dates

Biography

James Watt was a Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.

Source: Wikipedia · Compiled March 2026 · AI-summarized

Timeline

1736
Birth

Scottish engineer (d. 1819)

January 19 →
1819
Death

Scottish inventor (b. 1736)

August 19 →
1819
Death

Scottish-English engineer (b. 1736)

August 25 →

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