英国发明家理查德·特雷维西克

British inventor Richard Trevithick took seven of his friends for a test ride on his “Puffing Devil” or “Puffer” the first steam-powered passenger vehicle, on this day in 1801. Unlike the steam engine pioneered by the Scotsman James Watt, Trevithick’s used “strong steam”–that is, steam at a very high pressure (145 pounds per square inch, or psi, while Watt engine was 5 psi）.Trevithick’s engines could be put to work in mines, farms, factories, ships and locomotives of all kinds.

1801年12月24日，英国发明家理查德·特雷维西克（Richard Trevithick）带着他的七个朋友试乘了他的第一辆蒸汽动力乘用车，名为“Puffing Devil”或“Puffer”。与苏格兰人詹姆斯·瓦特（James Watt）首创的蒸汽机不同，特雷维西克使用的是“强劲的蒸汽”，即高压蒸汽（145 磅力/平方英寸即psi，而瓦特蒸汽机的压力是5磅力/平方英寸）。特雷维西克的发动机可用于矿山、农场、工厂、船舶和各种机车上。

注：psi（Pounds per square inch），磅力/平方英寸，是压强单位。

编译 / 刘然然

审核 / 吴丹