The Basics: 

• Born: January 19, 1736
• Lived in: Glasgow, Scotland, and Birmingham, England
• Invented: An improved steam engine, which was a big part of the Industrial Revolution and made him a rich man. He also created the term “horsepower” to measure the power of an engine.
• Died: August 19, 1819

Did you know?

• Before he worked on steam engines, Watt made musical instruments.
• The word “watt,” which measures the amount of power something uses, was named for James Watt.  
• He was invited in joining the Royal Society of Edinburg. In 2011, it was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame.
• Watt coined the term “Horsepower” by determining that a horse could pull 180 lbs.
• By creating an engine counter to count every stroke, Wat was able to charge per amount of work done. This invention is still used today in electricity meters. 

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