The first industrial steam engines used the weight of the atmosphere to pump water
Early industrial steam engines didn't use steam pressure to push pistons, but instead used it to create a vacuum that allowed the weight of the atmosphere to do the work.
The Newcomen atmospheric engine, introduced in 1712, was the first practical steam engine, but it operated on a counterintuitive principle. Rather than using high-pressure steam to drive a piston, it filled a cylinder with low-pressure steam and then injected a spray of cold water. This caused the steam to condense instantly, creating a partial vacuum that allowed the 14.7 pounds per square inch of atmospheric pressure to push the piston down.
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