Complex sentence: In 1774 Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) applied his engineering talent to realising Watt's idea and it was to follow that Boulton and Watt became one of the most famous partnerships in industrial history.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1774 Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) applied his engineering talent to realising Watt's idea. It was to follow that Boulton and Watt became one of the most famous partnerships in industrial history.