James Watt and the Steam Engine: the Dawn of the Nineteenth Century

James Watt and the Steam Engine: the Dawn of the Nineteenth Century , 1855 by James Eckford Lauder (1811 - 1869) (Scottish) Via Wikipedia Commons / Scottish National Gallery / Public domain

“James's childhood would be plagued by toothaches and migraines. Because of this medical condition, he was unable to attend school regularly. Owing to this, James was home taught by his parents initially. His mother taught James how to read whilst his father taught him arithmetic and writing. He would later attend a grammar school where he learned Latin, Greek, and mathematics.” Excerpted from James Watt, Father of the Modern Steam Engine /Interestingengineering.com

“In April, 1765, James Watt wrote to James Lind about his invention. "I have now almost a certainty of the facturum of the fire-engine, having determined the following particulars: the quantity of steam produced; the ultimatum of the lever engine; the quantity of steam produced; the quantity of steam destroyed by the cold of its cylinder; the quantity destroyed in mine... mine ought to raise water to 44 feet with the same quantity of steam that there does to 32 (supposing my cylinder as thick as theirs). I can now make a cylinder of 2 feet diameter and 3 feet high only a 40th of an inch thick, and strong enough to resist the atmosphere... in short, I can think of nothing else but this machine." (17)” Source Spartacus -Educational.com