James Watt

A Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer, his improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. A genius par excellence, he transformed the world from an agricultural society into an industrial one.

In recognition of his immense contribution to science, Watt was adopted as the unit of power in 1889. Years later, in 1960, the scientists paid a great tribute to James by incorporating Watt in the International System of Units.