Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric steam engine was first used for mine pumping at the Conygree Coalworks near Dudley, England, in 1712. It enabled deeper mining by removing water, kickstarting the Industrial Revolution's energy demands.

Symbolized in Romantic poetry critiquing mechanization (e.g., Blake's 'dark satanic mills'), influencing views on technology's impact on nature and labor in 19th-century verse.