1712Reputable sourceWell documented
The Newcomen Steam Engine
On the timeline · around 1712 ·
What happened
In 1712 the Devon ironmonger Thomas Newcomen installed the first commercially successful steam engine — an 'atmospheric' engine — to pump water out of a coal mine near Dudley. It could clear thousands of gallons an hour from deep shafts, though it burned coal inefficiently, which mattered little at a colliery.
Why it matters
Newcomen's engine let miners dig deeper for the coal that fuelled industry, and became the starting point for a century of improvement in steam power.