Who developed the steam engine?

The most useful instrument for analyzing the performance of steam engines is the steam engine indicator. Early versions were in use by 1851, but the most successful indicator was developed for the high speed engine inventor and manufacturer Charles Porter by Charles Richard and exhibited at London Exhibition in 1862. read more

With financial backing from Boulton, Watt developed a single-acting (and later, a double-acting) rotative steam engine that, along with Watt's signature separate condenser, featured a parallel motion mechanism that doubled the power of the existing steam cylinder. read more

The first steam engine to be applied industrially was the "fire-engine" or "Miner's Friend", designed by Thomas Savery in 1698. This was a pistonless steam pump, similar to the one developed by Worcester. read more