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The expression “blow off some steam” refers to getting rid of excess energy. And steam was an energy source that changed the world. The first steam-powered device was patented by a Spaniard in 1606, but an English dude also got a patent 92 years later, so of course he is the one everyone says invented the steam engine.
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: July 2, 1698--
Jerónimo de Ayanz y Beaumont was a Spanish inventor and engineer. When he was 34 the Spanish Monarchy put him in charge of their mining operations. The problem with mines is that when you dig deep, they flood with groundwater. And humans always be wanting more. I mean, there’s coal and shit down there, and this fucking water bullshit needs to go. So, let’s use water to get out the water.
Jerónimo’s invention used steam pressure to pump out the water. WeLL aCtUaLLy it wasn’t really a steam “engine” he created but more of a “precursor,” so let’s talk about the dude who spoke English so I don’t have to do anymore Insert > Symbol stuff for typing out names with accents over vowels.
It was first proven that steam could make things move at around the time Jesus was stirring up shit. Some Greek Math Hero did it. His name was Hero, and he was into math. Anyway, Thomas Savery was the aforementioned British inventor who, on July 2, 1698, patented the first commercial steam “engine” (it was actually a pump) to do the same stuff Ayanz y Beaumont’s did: pump water out of mines.
And that created a ripple effect.
Once the literal power of steam became well known, further experimentation began. With the ability to do so much more than humans or horses alone, the steam engine became the most important aspect of the Industrial Revolution, which transformed humanity. It was critical in manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation.
It led to the growth of cities, population explosion, and bigger and more deadly battles because of greater capacity to transport soldiers and materials to the front lines. Railways opened up continents to colonization and the genocide of native populations. Steam gave humanity an even greater thirst for power: the power to move people and earth, to build and destroy. Its adoption is one of the most profound turning points in our history because it launched us toward the world where you can hop in your assembly-line manufactured Japanese vehicle to zoom down to the local store to buy Guatemalan bananas, New Zealand lamb, and Italian wine while wearing clothes made in Bangladesh.
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