# James Watt

_British engineer (1736–1819)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/james-watt
Last updated: 2026-11-04

> James Watt was a Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 19 January 1736 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Greenock ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P19))
- **Died:** 25 August 1819 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P570))
- **Place of death:** Heathfield Hall ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Scotland ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P27))
- **Occupation:** engineer; chemist; physicist; inventor; entrepreneur; mathematician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P106))
- **Education:** University of Glasgow ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P69))
- **Spouse:** Ann McGriigor; Peggy Miller ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P26))
- **Awards:** honorary doctorate of the University of Glasgow; Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame; Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041#P166))

## Questions

**When was James Watt born?**  
James Watt was born on 19 January 1736 in Greenock.

**Where did James Watt study?**  
James Watt was educated at University of Glasgow.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): James Watt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): जेम्स वाट](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8_%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9F) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q9041](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9041) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Watt James von Breda.jpg by Carl Frederik von Breda (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watt_James_von_Breda.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article James Watt, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Watt James von Breda.jpg — Carl Frederik von Breda, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"James Watt". DigiNepal. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/james-watt. Retrieved 5 November 2026.