| Common Era |
Event |
| 0 |
Fire piston invented in Southeast Asia (Europe, in early 1800): for starting fires, preceded match. (Asia, southeast) |
| 80 - 409 |
Two-barreled reciprocating pump: cut from a block of wood, lined with sheet lead (0409 ca). (Romans in Britain, Silchester) |
| 1500 - 1599 |
Rotary pumps too difficult to make before 16th century, but described by Ramelli in 1588. |
| 1511 |
Bellows pump demonstrated. (Vegetius) |
| 1540 ca. |
Bucket pumps for water, driven by waterwheels or animal gears, introduced in Saxon mines. (Georgius Agricola, Germany) |
| 1582 |
Undershot tide-mill pumps installed in London water system (London Bridge Waterworks established). (Morice (Dutch), Britain) |
| 1600 |
Gear pump invented. (Kepler) |
| 1600 - 1699 |
Rag-and-chain pump used to drain Cornish mines. (Britain) |
| 1600 - 1699 |
Centrifugal water pumps not evident until the 17th century. |
| 1629 |
Water-operated pumps of direct air-pressure type described; also described form of impulse steam turbine. (Giovanni Branca, Italy) |
| 1635 |
Gearwheel pump illustrated by Schwenter. (Schwenter) |
| 1650 ca. |
Machine-bored pump barrels used, mostly later in century; flanged and bolted pipes used. (Bate, Britain) |
| 1652 |
Air (vacuum) pump devised: steadily improved upon later. (Otto von Guericke) |
| 1658 |
Air pump experiments conducted. (Boyle and Hooke) |
| 1674 - 1675 |
Morland's plunger pumps patented: made in sizes up to 10-in-dia by Isaack Thomson (1675). (Moreland, Thomson, Britain) |
| 1680 |
Simple centrifugal pump invented. (Jordan) |
| 1685 |
Air compressing pump for high pressures for experiments invented. (Denis Papin, Britain) |
| 1689 |
Centrifugal pump, known as Hessian pump, described: relates to internal combustion engine. (Denis Papin, Britain) |
| 1716 |
Double-acting piston pump described: not practical. (De la Hire, Britain) |
| 1718 |
Savery's pump improved: later it was automatic. (Desagulier) |
| 1720 ca. |
Morland plunger pump used in London water supply. (Morland, London) |
| 1721 |
Modern manual fire engine evolves from fire engine: patented in 1721. (Newsham) |
| 1730 |
Tympanum improved. (De la Faye) |
| 1732 |
Simple centrifugal pump described. (Demour) |
| 1732 ca. |
Diaphragm pump invented by Gosset and Deville. (Gosset and Deville, Britain) |
| 1739 |
Designs published for semi-balanced valve and brass pump bucket (later evolved into standard). (Belidor, France) |
| 1746 |
Lifting pump devised using Archimedian screw. (Wirtz) |
| 1755 |
Direct air-pressure mine pump used at Chemnitz. |
| 1757 - 1759 |
Tub-blowing machine patented (1757--O4, 1759--E1), for blast furnace: included three cast-iron cylinders and three-throw crank. (Isaac Wilkinson, Britain) |
| 1768 |
Chain pump improved and introduced into ships: more efficient with renewable elements. (Cole) |
| 1772 |
Statical mercury vacuum pump devised. (Swedenborg) |
| 1781 |
Rope pump introduced. (Vera) |
|
19th Century |
| 1818 |
Massachusetts centrifugal pump introduced. (US) |
| 1830 ca. |
Tympanum improved by use of vanes curved to Archimedean spirals. (Cave) |
| 1830 ca. |
Bucket-pump system introduced at British colliery to sink shaft. (Britain) |
| 1831 |
Early form of water tube boiler invented. (Jacob Perkins) |
| 1834 |
Hydraulic belt pump patented. (Child) |
| 1849 |
Steam direct-acting steam pump invented: for Simplex pumps. (Henry Worthington) |
| 1857 |
Feathering chain pump patented. (Murray, Britain) |
| 1857 - 1859 |
Duplex steam pump invented. (Henry Worthington, New York) |
| 1860 |
Duplex water-works engine built: widely adopted. (Henry Worthington, New York) |
| 1865 |
Mercury vacuum pump invented: solves problem in carbon filament lamp. (Sprengel) |
| 1868 |
Vertical direct-acting flywheel pump patented. (Thomson and Moreland) |
| 1870 ca. |
Jet pump devised. (Thomson, Britain) |
| 1871 |
Differential valve motion for direct-acting pump patented. (Davey) |
| 1872 |
Pulsometer steam pump invented. (Hall, Britain) |
| 1875 |
Multistage centrifugal pump patented: improved efficiency. (O Reynolds, Britain) |
| 1877 |
Direct air-pressure pump for sewage: includes Shone's ejector. (Shone, Britain) |
| 1880 |
Vertical direct-acting compound pumping engine introduced. (Moreland) |
| 1880 |
Air-lift pump devised. (Frizzle, Britain) |
| 1886 |
Vertical triple-expansion pumping engine introduced in US. (Allis, US) |
| 1886 |
Air lift pump improved. (Pohle, Britain) |
| 1886 |
Compensated Duplex compound pump used in England. (Worthington) |
| 1891 |
First British vertical triple-expansion pumping engine. (Britain) |
|
20th Century |
| 1900 ca. |
Direct air pressure pump. (Harris) |
| 1909 |
Humphrey gas explosion pump invented: uses oscillating column of water in U-shaped tube rather than piston and crankshaft, never achieved general acceptance. (H A Humphrey) |
| 1910 |
Water elevator. (Chaine Helice) |
| 1919 |
Caruelle water elevator. (Caruelle) |
| 1945 ca. |
Joint development of pressure vessels withstanding high loads. (Vickers Anderson) |
| 1948 |
Equitable heat pump*: first system in modern-style sealed-window office building. (Oregon) |
