The Steam Engine

When the steam engines and the steam locomotives were first introduced to the world, many people thought that it was very dangerous and they were progressing too fast for their time. When people saw how fast the steam locomotives in the 1800s moved, people exclaimed, “What can be more palpably absurd or ridiculous than the prospect of locomotives traveling twice as fast as stagecoaches!” (Farmanddairy).This is a clear example of the negative reactions that the initial steam engines provided. Many people would refuse to ride one of the steam locomotives or work near a steam engine due to fear. Others thought that humankind was progressing too fast and there would be bad repercussions for their rapid progress and change. People became more skeptical of these fast and futuristic locomotives when on, “June 17, 1831, when the locomotive racked up another claim to fame, although not a desirable one, as the first locomotive in the U.S. to suffer a boiler explosion.”(Farmanddairy)  Luckily it only killed one person because it did not have passengers on it but this explosion made people very wary of the locomotives.  

Even though there were people that were clearly wary of the steam engine, most of the world supported it, especially the mining and textiles industries. According to Thoughtco, when the steam engine and trains became popular the iron and coal industries exploded, causing rapid advances all over the world. This led to many new inventions and metal becoming a more common item. According to the comic posted below, people were clearly amazed by the steam engine. As we can see, from the translations at the bottom of the comic, the people were completely amazed by the steam engine. This source also shows that the steam engine was used all over the world. According to an article about the industrial revolution, “The use of large, automated machines meant that cloth could be mass produced at a cheaper cost” What they mean by “Automated machines” is the steam engine and the water wheel that were the main sources of power. Steam engines could be used to power looms and sewing machines. The textile industry is also one of the main industries that boomed in the industrial revolution. It changed from a wealthy only industry to an economy for everyone.

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