James Watt
in trying to make things "work like clockwork".
In his late teens he went to London to learn to be a "mathematical and
philosophical instrument maker", and when he returned to Glasgow he got a
job making instruments with Glasgow University, who gave him a place where
to live and a workshop.
In 1763 John Andreson asked him to repair an early steam engine he
had bought. This early model, known as a Newcomen engine, was very
unefective. The cylinder (where the piston was) had to be heated when steam
was admitted, and then cooled again to condense the steam. This wasted a
lot of time and fuel. Two years later, while walking through Glasgow Green,
Watt hit upon the idea of condensing the steam in a separate place. This
removed the need for heating and cooling, making the engine faster, safer,
and it used a lot less fuel. A stone in Glasgow Green marks this spot, where
the industrial revolution really began.
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