What can be considered a yardstick for assessing the achievements of science in the 19th century?

The greatest scientific achievement of the 19th century was the invention of the steam engine. This invention propelled all other inventions into practice. The steam engine made it possible to use the energy contained in coal, wood and oil. For the first time, man used this energy to transform into mechanical energy. It was a real scientific and technological revolution. A machine that converts the internal energy of a substance into mechanical energy. Allowed a person to advance in all other areas of science and technology.