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Once upon a time, in a land far far away…

Are you think about studying engineering? Let’s travel to the past and explore how engineering was created and what made it become such a prestigious profession. The story of engineering is no legend, it’s reality, and you should hear all about it before you select your program.

Engineering- a Brief History

Early Stages

Let’s go to the land before time- the prehistoric era. Remember those stories about Uhg, the caveman who invented the wheel?

Well, Uhg can be called the world’s first engineer. His invention explored basic physics and mechanical concepts (round things can spin!) to come up with a useful invention. Soon thereafter men had come up with other engineered inventions, such as the knife, the lever, the basic pulley mechanism, and other wonderful things.

Ancient times have seen many engineers (though we don’t know much about all of them, sadly). The Acropolis and Parthenon in Greece are examples of the great engineers of the Greek culture, who designed both great buildings and useful machines. Archimedes is an example of such an engineer, who designed the famous Archimedes screw to transfer water, among other things. The Romans also had their own things going, with the Colosseum, and useful engineered products like aquaducts and Via Appian. Other cultures likes the Mayan, Inca and Aztecs of South America had built pyramids and other structures, while in Asia cultures have invented many useful things and even constructed the Great Wall of China.

Engineering, like many other disciplines, existed for a very long time and has always been significant to the development of human society.

Dark Ages to Renaissance

The word “engineer” probably spawns from Latin, and relates to the word “ingenuity”. From early on, you had to be a genius to be an engineer! Early engines, ingenious machines, refer mostly to military machines, and thus early engineers were really military engineers. Later came the distinction between military and civil engineers, with civil taking on non-military engineers who constructed things like roads, buildings, and many other useful inventions.

During the Dark Ages, military engineers led the way with inventions of weapons for the prevalent wars. At the same time, some useful things like mechanical clocks were constructed as well. But the real fun began with the Renaissance, and people like Leonardo Da Vinci.

Leo (not the ninja turtle, the real one) was a great engineer in many areas. As a military engineer he built moving barricades. As a civil engineer he designed a bridge. His mechanical inventions range from musical instruments to hang gliders and flying machines. Of course, the Renaissance also so many other inventors and engineers who are slightly less famous.

Industrial Revolution

You can think of this as the “boom” that kicked engineering into high gear. Mechanical engineering rose above other branches when Thomas Savery’s steam engine and its improvements by James Watt allowed for the concept of mass production to draw interest, and suddenly production machines were in high demand everywhere.

Engineering become a profession in the 1700s, with civil, military and mechanical as the main branches. The ideas of incorporating science, math and arts into designing and creating new inventions became highly acceptable. As educational systems improved people began to study engineering thoroughly, and the modern sense of the profession soon came to life.

It didn’t take much time for things to explode into a new level. Transportation engineering came to life with steam boats and trains, and eventually aerospace engineering sprang into existence in the late 1800s with the Wright brothers’ airplane.

Electrical engineering also gained popularity in the 1800s with Volta’s development of the electric cell, as well as works by Ohm and Faraday that resulted in the electric engine and other such creations. Electricity eventually became widespread and commercially distributed.

Chemical engineering was a direct result of the industrial revolution. With high demand for efficient chemical processes and new, better materials, the call for combining chemistry and physics into chemical engineering was immediate.

Modern Times

While the main branches of engineering are still in high demand to this day, modern developments gave rise to new and more sophisticated engineering disciplines.

The invention and commercialization of useful computers gave rise to computer science and eventually software engineering. Similar concepts developed electronic engineering that now deals with more than engines, developing things like cellphones and video game consoles. Advanced mechanics allow for the introduction of mechatronics, nanotechnology, and other fields.

Significant advances in medical research allowed for the combination of biology into the mix, creating bioengineering. This field deals with the living side of engineering, combating diseases and improving health, as well as looking at things like genetic engineering for creating better foods and many other things.

Nowadays, engineering is well known as an established, desirable profession, and many students choose to pursue a designation as a professional engineer as a great career and life choice.

Become part of a historical tradition- be an engineer

Photo Credits:
- cavemen and dinosaurs, by kfaka4prez
- da vinci kite, by p.murf
- Industrial revolution, by blvesboy
- Modern Technology Hall, by Cristiano Betta