On 5 August 1729 Thomas Newcomen, the inventor of the first practical working steam engine, died. At the time flooding in coal and tin mines was a major problem, and Newcomen was soon engaged in trying to improve ways to pump out the water from such mines. His greatest achievement came in 1712 when he created a steam engine for the purpose of lifting water out of a tin mine. An engine built to Thomas Newcomen's design is now displayed at the National Museum of Scotland. Find out more here: https