First drawing of Nasmyths steam hammer, 24 November 1839.

UNITED KINGDOM : James Nasmyth (1808-1890) was an engineer and inventor of the steam hammer which took the human effort out of the process of forging wrought iron and steel to form engine and machine parts. Nasmyth had earlier worked in the London machine-shop of Henry Maudslay (1835- 1918), perhaps the greatest influence on the improvement of mechanical practice in the early 19th century. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)