• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Animals / How did Horsepower get its Name and How did the Measurement of Power Originate?

How did Horsepower get its Name and How did the Measurement of Power Originate?

April 18, 2020 by Karen Hill

Before there were engines, the only power available in the Western world, besides brute human strength, was the power of a horse.

horses

Engineer James Watt coined the term when making improvements to the steam engine in the 1760s.

Watt needed to be able to place a value on the energy produced by the mechanical steam engine.

The only way that made any sense was by comparing this energy to the energy produced by a team of horses doing the same job, which in this case was pumping water out of coal mines.

He hooked up mine horses, one by one, and determined that an average horse could lift 150 pounds of water 220 feet in one minute.

This he expressed as 1/33,000 foot-pounds per minute, he multiplied the 150 by the 220, or “one horsepower.”

A standard was invented that we use even to this day when discussing motors.

Related Facts

  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • Who Invented the First Car and Where Did Cars Come From?
  • Where Did the Term Horsepower For Measurement of Power Come From and What Does it Mean?
  • 15 Inventions You Wish You Invented
  • Why Don’t Boats Have Gears and Why Does a Car Have a Gearbox To Help It Accelerate When Stationary?
  • What Is the Best Way To Cook a Live Lobster? Boil It or Steam It?

Filed Under: Animals

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why is the Camel Called the “Ship of the Desert” and How do they Walk Differently from Other Animals?
Next Post: How did Captain Miles Keogh’s Horse Comanche Survive Custer’s Last Stand at Little Bighorn River? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy