Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric steam engine.

Engraving depicting Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric steam engine, 1705. The boiler is at A), and the piston H), is pushed by steam up the open cylinder C): it descends due to atmospheric pressure when steam in the cylinder is cooled and condensed by water from cistern, G). Thomas Newcomen (1664-1729) an English inventor who created the first practical steam engine in 1712. Dated 19th century. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)