Greece & Rome (ca. 300 BC - 300 AD):
Archimedes: invents lever law, worm pump, pulley.
Heron of Alexandria: Early form of the steam engine (aeolipile).
China & Arabia: Water wheels, clockworks, early automation.
Engineering was mainly used in construction, agriculture and the military (e.g. catapults, mills).
Middle Ages - Mechanical masterpieces
The art of clockmaking continues to develop - first mechanical clocks in monasteries & cities.
Construction of mills (water mills, windmills) as early "machines".
Leonardo da Vinci (15th century): Sketches revolutionary machines - from flying machines to tanks (although not built).
Technology transfer between Orient and Occident via trade routes.
Early modern period - the path to industry
16th-17th century: emergence of the first mining machines, pumps, cranes.
Development of mechanical production techniques (e.g. cogwheels, lathes).
First scientific works on mechanics & thermodynamics (Galileo, Newton).
18th-19th century - Mechanical engineering becomes industry
Industrial Revolution (from around 1760):
James Watt improves the steam engine - powers factories, ships, locomotives.
Invention of the spinning machine, weaving machine, steam presses.
Mechanical engineering becomes an independent profession for the first time.
German engineering (e.g. Siemens, Benz, Krupp) makes its mark worldwide.
1861: Foundation of the first mechanical engineering faculty in Karlsruhe.
