History of engineering facts for kids
Engineering is all about using science and math to design, build, and improve things. Humans have been doing this for a very long time! Think about early inventions like the pulley, lever, and wheel. These simple tools helped people do amazing things. They used basic ideas about how things move and work to create useful objects.
The word "engineering" comes from the word "engineer." Back in 1325, an "engineer" was someone who built "engines." But these weren't car engines! An "engine" used to mean a military machine, like a catapult used in war. The word "engine" itself comes from a Latin word, ingenium, which meant "clever invention" or "natural talent."
Later, as people started designing buildings and bridges, a new term appeared: civil engineering. This helped tell the difference between engineers who built non-military projects and those who worked on military machines. Today, military engineering still exists, like the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
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Ancient Engineering Wonders
Ancient civilizations showed incredible engineering skills. They built huge structures that still amaze us today.
- The ziggurats in Mesopotamia
- The pyramids and Pharos of Alexandria in ancient Egypt
- Cities of the Indus Valley civilization
- The Acropolis and Parthenon in ancient Greece
- The aqueducts, Via Appia roads, and Colosseum in the Roman Empire
- Teotihuacán, and the cities and pyramids of the Mayan, Inca, and Aztec Empires
- The Great Wall of China
These are just a few examples of the amazing work done by early engineers.
Simple Machines: The Basics of Engineering
People in the ancient Near East knew about the six classic simple machines. These are basic tools that change the direction or amount of force.
- The wedge and the inclined plane (ramp) were used even in prehistoric times.
- The wheel and its partner, the wheel and axle, were invented in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) around 5,000 BC.
- The lever appeared about 5,000 years ago in the Near East. It was used for things like balance scales and moving heavy objects in ancient Egyptian technology. The shadoof, a water-lifting device, was an early type of crane that used a lever.
- The first signs of pulleys come from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt around 2000 BC.
- The screw was the last simple machine invented, appearing in Mesopotamia around 911-609 BC.
The Egyptian pyramids were built using three simple machines: the inclined plane, the wedge, and the lever. This helped them create massive structures like the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Early Engineers and Inventions
The first engineer we know by name is Imhotep. He was an official for the Pharaoh Djoser in Egypt. Around 2630-2611 BC, he likely designed and watched over the building of the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. He might have also been the first to use columns in buildings.
The ancient kingdom of Kush developed the Sakia around 400 BC. This was a water wheel powered by animals, not humans. They also built reservoirs called Hafirs to help with irrigation. Kushite engineers also built speos (rock-cut temples) and created early furnaces for metalworking.
The first practical machines powered by water-power, like the water wheel and watermill, appeared in the Persian Empire (modern Iraq and Iran) by the early 4th century BC.
Ancient Greece also made many clever machines. The Antikythera mechanism was an early mechanical analog computer. Archimedes invented many things, including complex gears that are still used today in robotics and automotive engineering.
Chinese and Roman armies used complex military machines like the Ballista and catapult. In the Middle Ages, the Trebuchet was developed. In 132 AD, the Chinese inventor Zhang Heng created the seismoscope to detect earthquakes. This was 1,100 years before anything similar appeared elsewhere!
Another Chinese invention was the trip hammer, described by Huan Tan. This device used water power to pound grain.
Engineering in the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages saw new engineering ideas and improvements.
Byzantine Empire's Contributions
The Byzantines kept many ancient Greek writings safe and added their own engineering ideas. Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus were the architects of the famous Hagia Sophia church, built between 532 and 537 CE.
The Byzantines also used a secret weapon called Greek fire. Invented by Callinicus of Heliopolis, it was a flammable liquid, possibly made of petroleum and other substances, that could burn on water.
Islamic Golden Age Innovations
During the Islamic Golden Age, engineers learned a lot by translating works from Greek, Persian, Roman, and Indian scholars.
- The first practical machines powered by wind-power, like the windmill and wind pump, appeared in the Muslim world (modern Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) by the 9th century AD.
- The earliest practical machine powered by steam-power was a steam turbine described in 1551 by Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf in Ottoman Egypt.
- The cotton gin was invented in India by the 6th century AD, and the spinning wheel in the Islamic world by the early 11th century. These were very important for making cloth and led to the spinning jenny in the 18th century, a key invention of the Industrial Revolution.
After studying the works of Hero of Alexandria, engineers in the Muslim world developed early programmable machines. The first was a music sequencer, a programmable musical instrument. The Banu Musa brothers described an automated flute player in their book, Book of Ingenious Devices, in the 9th century.
In 1206, Al-Jazari invented programmable automata (robots). He described four robot musicians that could play different rhythms. His castle clock, powered by water, was also a programmable analog computer. Al-Jazari built many other clever machines, including water pumps and improved mechanical parts like gears and escapement mechanisms.
The European Renaissance and Beyond
The Industrial Revolution changed engineering forever.
The Rise of Steam Power
The first working steam engine was built in 1716 by a blacksmith named Thomas Newcomen. This invention was a huge step, leading to the Industrial Revolution and the start of mass production.
As engineering grew, it became a recognized profession in the 18th century. It focused more on using math and science to solve problems. Fields like the "mechanic arts" (working with machines) also became part of engineering.
Here are some pictures from a deck of cards from 1702, showing engineering tools used back then. They show different types of engineering, like civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and geodesy (measuring the Earth).
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Four of hearts: Sea quadrant
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Nine of diamonds: Dyals (dials)
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Six of diamonds: Circumferentor
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Eight of diamonds: the Compass
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King of spades: Spheres
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Knave of hearts: Surveying wheel and chains
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Knave of spades: Leavell
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One of diamonds: Mathematical instruments
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Queen of diamonds: Projections of the sphere
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Queen of spades: Astronomical quadrant
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Three of diamonds: Gauger (gauges)
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Two of clubs: Theodolet and semi-circle
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Modern Engineering Fields
The 19th and 20th centuries saw engineering grow into many specialized fields.
Mechanical Engineering
The inventions of Thomas Savery and James Watt (with his steam engine) helped create modern Mechanical Engineering. As factories grew during the Industrial Revolution, there was a big need for people who could design and maintain machines. This led to fast growth for mechanical engineering in Britain and around the world.
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering developed from experiments with electricity in the 19th century. People like Alessandro Volta, Michael Faraday, and Georg Ohm made important discoveries. The invention of the electric motor in 1872 was a big step. By the late 1800s, electrical engineering became a real profession. Engineers built the first global electric telegraph network. While it's hard to name the very first electrical engineer, Francis Ronalds created the first working electric telegraph system in 1816.
Electronics and Chemical Engineering
The work of James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz in the late 1800s led to the field of Electronics. Later, inventions like the vacuum tube and the transistor made electronics grow even faster. Today, there are more electrical and electronics engineers than any other type!
Chemical Engineering also grew during the 19th century's Industrial Revolution. Factories needed new materials and ways to make things. By 1880, there was a huge demand for large-scale chemical production. This led to a new industry focused on designing chemical plants and processes. Chemical engineers were the ones who designed these factories.
Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering is about designing aircraft. Aerospace Engineering is a newer term that includes designing spacecraft too. Its roots go back to the early 1900s with aviation pioneers like the Wright brothers. Early aeronautical knowledge came from experiments and ideas from other engineering fields. After World War I, aeronautical engineering grew rapidly as military aircraft were developed.
The first PhD (a high-level university degree) in engineering in the United States was given to Willard Gibbs at Yale University in 1863.
In 1990, with the rise of computer technology, the first search engine was built by computer engineer Alan Emtage.
See also
- Timeline of historic inventions
- History of women in engineering
- History of chemical engineering
- History of electrical engineering
- History of structural engineering
