In the eighteenth century, England broke away from being a European power to becoming a world power. One of the main drivers of this transformation was the innovation of the steam engine. The steam engine revolutionized industry in England and eventually, the world. Horse, water and wind power were popular at the time. But each had shortcomings in terms of reliability, mobility or efficiency. Steam, in contrast, was a reliable, efficient, mobile and abundant source of power. Although initially concentrated near coal- abundant areas, soon the plentiful sources of coal all over the world meant that steam power was widely available. Even today, around 78 percent of the world's energy comes from thermal power, and much of the world's thermal power relies on steam, mostly via steam turbines. Without steam, there would be no steamboats, no steam locomotives, less mechanization and much less electricity— key innovations that led to the development of the modern world. The innovation and development of the steam engine overcame a power bottleneck in mining, manufacturing and transportation that facilitated the Industrial Revolution, first in Britain and then elsewhere.

The fact that British innovators developed the steam engine gave Britain a major advantage. By the nineteenth century— half a century after the invention of the Watt steam engine— Britain was the largest empire in the world. While the steam engine was not the sole innovation responsible for this change, it did play a primary role. Other innovations responsible for Britain's rise were those in the mechanization of production, especially in textile manufacturing and iron smelting. Once the use of the steam engine began in coal mines, other British innovators repurposed it. Inventors like Richard Arkwright, who mechanized the weaving of cotton, and Henry Cort, who developed iron smelting, capitalized on the steam engine. The efficiency of steam power meant their innovations became much more efficient and revolutionary than the prior manual manufacturing methods. These revolutionary innovations drove Britain to become a leading manufacturing power in the global economy in the eighteenth century. Later, using steam for the locomotion of ships and trains drove Britain and other countries that adopted these innovations to further global leadership.