On This Day

English engineer Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine

Thomas Savery (1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer. He invented the first commercially used steam-powered device, a steam pump which is often referred to as the "Savery engine".

Thomas Savery (1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer. He invented the first commercially used steam-powered device, a steam pump which is often referred to as the "Savery engine". Savery's steam pump was a revolutionary method of pumping water, which improved mine drainage and made widespread public water supply practicable.

Historical Significance

Thomas Savery (1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer.

Events Before

  1. Battle of Zenta: Holy League forces led by Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat an Ottoman army under Mustafa II near Zenta in

    Battle of Zenta: Holy League forces led by Prince Eugene of Savoy defeat an Ottoman army under Mustafa II near Zenta in the Kingdom of Hungary, ending Ottoman control over large parts of Central Europe

  2. Three Dutch East India Company ships anchor at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia

    Three Dutch East India Company ships anchor at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia

  3. Tsar Peter the Great of Russia begins a tour of Western Europe

    Tsar Peter the Great of Russia begins a tour of Western Europe

  4. Dutch sea captain Willem de Vlamingh returns to Batavia after exploring "South Land" (west coast of Australia)

    Dutch sea captain Willem de Vlamingh returns to Batavia after exploring "South Land" (west coast of Australia)

  5. Stockholm's medieval royal castle is destroyed by fire, the Codex Gigas (world's largest extant medieval illuminated man

    Stockholm's medieval royal castle is destroyed by fire, the Codex Gigas (world's largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript) survives by being thrown out a window

Events After

  1. Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly persecuted "witches"

    Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly persecuted "witches"

  2. Venice, Poland & Austria sign Treaty of Karlowitz with Ottoman Empire, ending the Great Turkish War (1683-97) - 1st time

    Venice, Poland & Austria sign Treaty of Karlowitz with Ottoman Empire, ending the Great Turkish War (1683-97) - 1st time Ottomans concede significant territory

  3. rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

    rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

  4. French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the first European to discover the mouth of the Mississippi rive

    French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the first European to discover the mouth of the Mississippi river [1]

  5. Jews are expelled from residing in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire

    Jews are expelled from residing in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire

More from the 1690s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 2, 1698?
Thomas Savery (1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer. He invented the first commercially used steam-powered device, a steam pump which is often referred to as the "Savery engine". Savery's steam pump was a revolutionary method of pumping water, which improved mine drainage and made widespread public water supply practicable.
Why is English engineer Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine significant?
Thomas Savery (1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer.

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