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Horsepower...what the heck does it mean?

maxpete

New member
Howdy all!

Being a huge fan of history, I was delighted this morning when one of my favourite YouTubers - The History Guy (or THG as he is popularly known) posted a video on that familiar measure of engine output the “horsepower”.

We all use the term (and many people use it correctly too), but how many folks know what it actually means and from where it came? Have a gander at this video and find out!


The only quibble I have with the video is that about halfway through, THG switches from the correct pronunciation of the name of the inventor of the steam engine: Newcomen (with an “N” as the last letter) to “Newcomer” - with an “R”. I guess he is getting tired of being inside his house so much and is getting a bit stale (who isn’t?).

Aside from his odd inability to pronounce certain military ranks correctly (he persists in saying “Loo-tenet” rather than “Left-tenant” when discussing British and Commonwealth officers) I think that THG does a incredibly good and well-balanced job of describing some of the most interesting and occasionally obscure aspects of the history of the world.

Highly recommended!

Pete
 
Here's a direct link to the video:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3apcSyFUeOs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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