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Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen invented the first primitive steam engines, but they were both very ineffective. In 1969, James Watt put a patent on his improved steam engine that allowed less energy to be wasted. The steam engine gave almost unlimited power. It was immediately used to drain mines so that there was more coal for more steam engines and it was also used for mills, which led to even more factories. The steam engine also promoted the iron industry because unlimited coke could be used and because steam-powered rolling mills were developed to make all kinds of iron goods. This helped the British iron industry to advance and it became the building block of the economy. McKay, John P, et al. __A History of Western Societies__. Boston, Massachusetts. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
 * __The Steam Engine__**