The Industrial Revolution took place in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This event caused a plethora of new inventions and a chain of events that led to the improvement of people's lives during this period. The invention of the steam engine made it easier to connect areas, leading to a transportation revolution, greater accessibility, cultural fusion, and the spread of disease. began using the steam engine to produce energy. Although there were no official accounts of the harnessing of steam power until the 1600s, a man named Hero living in Alexandria, Egypt attempted to create a steam engine in 60 AD (Hartman). Much later, Thomas Savery, in 1698, invented a manually operated pump that exploited the vacuum created by the condensation of steam. This pump improved coal mines by helping to recover water from the mines. Thomas Newcomon, in 1712, improved Savery's pump by adding a piston, keeping the condensing steam and water separate. After creating the final, most efficient version of the engine, James Watt, who is credited with making the greatest improvements to the engine, inserted a condenser to avoid having to heat and cool the cylinder each time. Included the rotary aspect of the engine, thus allowing its use on trains. Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot built a steam-engined carriage in 1769 for use during readings. Richard Trevithick first used a carriage with a steam engine on railways, then built a steam train in 1803. Before the steam locomotive was in use, the steamboat, built by William Symington, was used for first mentioned in 1802, but not used for passenger use until Robert Fulton put a steam engine on a passenger ship in 1807 ("Steam Engine"). The French tried to create steamboats around 1783, but were hindered by... middle of paper... solution." School History. School History. nd Web. March 15, 2014.Forrester, Rochelle. "The invention of the steam engine." How Change Happens. Rochelle Forrester, 2006. Web. March 5, 2014. Hartman, J.P. "Steam Engine." World Book Student. 2014. World Book. Web. February 15, 2014." Railways and Steamships (Overview)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 22 February 2014. "Revolution", OED Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 February 2014. Rodrigue, Jean-Paul, Dr. “The Emergence of Mechanized Systems.” The Geography of Transportation. Hofsta University, nd Web. 22 February 2014. Ross, David, ed. “Victorian Railways.” World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 17 February 2014 2014.