Sir Isaac Newton revolutionized natural philosophy by his discovery
and demonstration of the law of gravitation, and Dr. William Harvey
accomplished as great a change in physiological science by his
discovery of the circulation of the blood. The most remarkable
invention of the age was a rude steam engine, patented in 1698 by
Captain Savery, and so far improved by Thomas Newcomen in 1712 that it
was used for pumping water in coal mines for many years. Both were
destined to be superseded by James Watt's engine, which belongs to a
later period (1765).