Who Invented the Steam Engine and in What Year?

Who invented the first steam engine? Hero of Alexandria, Thomas Savery, Thomas Newcomen, and James Watt are each considered by some to be the one who invented the steam engine. Each of these people contributed to the invention of the steam engine over a period of more than 1700 years. Thus an answer could be Hero in the first century A.D., Savery in 1698, Newcomen in about 1712, or Watt in about 1769. Read this article to see the arguments in favor for one of these men as the one who invented the steam engine.