Distance is measured in meters, temperature in Celsius, force in Newtons. Power is measured in ‘horsepower’. But why is it called that? Well, turns out the reason why the horse got dragged into it all is pretty interesting.
In 1781, scientist James Watt gave the world the steam engine that surpassed the existing machinery of the time by leaps and bounds.
But according to Science ABC, since a majority of the consumers then used draft horses to carry out mechanical tasks, Watt came up with the ‘horsepower’ unit to compare the power of commonly used draft horses and that of his engine using a single measure.
Through a series of experiments, Watt evaluated the average work carried out by a horse at 33,000 foot-pounds (being able to lift 33,000-pound weight for 1 foot) per minute. And hence the new unit was born.
Thanks to the use of horsepower as a unit, potential buyers were able to understand the kind of power they were spending their money on in very relatable terms.
And Watt’s was a 5 horsepower engine. A single engine that was equivalent in power to 5 horses? Who wouldn’t buy that!
A true genius, James Watt not only gave the world it’s first high-powered steam engine, but by coining the ‘horsepower’ unit, he also cleverly created a market for it among people that were still living in the past!
Feature source: The Saleroom, Modern Farmer