[originaltext] In the earliest times, the only power that man had for making

In the earliest times, the only power that man had for making and moving things came from his muscles. Then he made wheels and sails which enabled him to use the strength of animals and the force of the wind to work for him. Later he invented some mills using the wind and other mills that used the power of running water to turn their wheels.
    In the eighteenth century the steam engine was invented. This gave man a kind of power that he could use anywhere and at any time. The steam engine was ready to work as soon as steam was raised in the boiler.
    James Watt’s steam engine was the first that was really good. However, it was not the first steam engine, for Thomas Newcomen had built one about sixty years earlier. Many of Newcomen’s engines had been in use, pumping water out of mines. However, they were clumsy and often broken down.
    Watt was repairing one of these engines in 1765 when he saw what was needed to make it work properly. He worked for nine years on his ideas for the engine before it was good enough for him. His engines were built by Mathew Boulton and were sold to mines and factories. Soon they were pumping water and turning the wheels of mills in many parts of England.