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The Beginnings
of Engineering
It is believed engineering began about 8000 years
ago with the establishment of permanent communities. Stone
blade axes, irrigation, plows, water and wind-mills
were all early engineering achievements.
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Early
Civilizations
Around 3000 BC urban civilizations began to emerge.
First in Egypt and Mesopotamia, then later in Greece, Rome, Central and
South America and England. 
During
this time number and mathematics
systems were developed. Most of the basic mechanical engineering principles
used today were developed--the wedge,
spiral, inclined plane, etc.
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The Middle
Ages
This time period, from the first to the sixteenth
century, was generally a time of inaction. However, isolated discoveries
were made. 
In
China the development of paper and explosives (gunpowder) were significant.
In Arabia, the sciences of chemistry
and optics began to develop. This was a time for great individual genius.
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Revival
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The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries brought
rapid change.
Many basic engineering and scientific principles and laws were formulated.
Four of the more prominent individuals of this era may be familiar to you
if you have had some engineering physics:
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The Industrial
Revolution
Two development early in the nineteenth century
set the stage for this important era: the steam
engine by James Watt and the refining
of iron by Henry Cort. From these railroads became possible and power
became available for factories. scientist and engineers began to see thevalue
of cooperation as discoveries were put to practical use.
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The Twentieth
Century
The
latter part of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth
century brought a virtual explosion of engineering and scientific advances:
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The
Wright Brothers-Powered flight
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Thomas Edison-
many inventions in the electrical field
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Henry
Ford -automobile
and mass production methods pioneered modern factory manufacturing
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More Twentieth
Century
The past 75 years has been a remarkable period
of engineering/scientific development. recently the National society
Professional Engineers selected the 10 most outstanding engineering achievements: