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Steam pressure was first harnessed about two thousand years ago, and has been used in many different ways. There are many practical implementations of steam power throughout history, and pressure canners are only one of the many applications with food preparation being perhaps the simplest.

Pressure washers use steam to create an environment that will dislodge dirt and debris from surfaces that tend to allow contaminants to cling to their finish. Just about anything can be cleaned with steam, but one serious application is in the health industry where sterilizing the environment is needed for medical reasons. In this case, steam is the best method of killing germs and harmful bacteria that can cause a long list of ailments.

Another health related application is in respiratory units where breathing conditions must be improved. Steam can be used to force decongestants into the air which patients breathe to dislodge congestion in their lungs. Without the use of steam it would not be possible to get these medications into the bronchial system where they can improve the lung capacity of the patient.

Steam has been used for a long time in the clothing industry. Steam irons have been using steam to remove wrinkles from fabrics and leave a very nice smooth surface appearance. Applying steam is also a very good way to remove dirt and other soils from clothing. Over the years, steam has been one of the most used methods of doing laundry for the public.

Mass transit found the use of steam to be very practical in powering locomotives, otherwise known and trains with steam engines. They pulled heavily loaded cargo cars up long inclines to get around and over tall mountains. Other things like farming equipment found the steam engine to be a very good means of obtaining more yield per hour. Even fire trucks were once powered by the steam engine thereby replacing the horse as the means of power.

The mining industry made use ofsteam to unearth precious minerals and other compounds making mining much safer for the mine workers, who no longer had to work underground. This also reduced the number of employees needed to get the job done, which meant higher profits for the mining companies. Steam engines were used to pull the load devices out of the mining area and ship them to the processing facility.

Without the use of steam, the settlement of the Western Frontier would have taken much longer because there was no other means of powering the equipment needed to clear away mountain passes in order to reach the other coast of the country. Steam made its mark on society by proving the results of how fast it was incorporated into the industrial world. Without steam there would have been a much slower move into the industrial revolution.

As if steam had not already made a sufficient mark on society, it also ended up in the average household kitchen where it is used to pressure cook foods at a muchfaster and more economical manner. Pressure canners are being used to not only save money, but time and provide better health with more nutritious foods.