29 April –
James Watt is granted a
Britishpatent for "A method of lessening the consumption of steam in
steam engines" – the separate condenser,[1] a key improvement (first devised by Watt in 1765 in Glasgow) which stimulates the
Industrial Revolution.[2] In September he completes a full-size experimental engine at
Kinneil House.
July 17 – Welsh naturalist
Thomas Pennant, having left Chester on 26 June, travels from Bamburgh to Dunbar to begin his tour of Scotland.[3]
3 August – part of the first
North Bridge, Edinburgh, collapses while nearing completion, killing five.