Introduction
Throughout human history, engineering
has driven the advance of civilization.
From the metallurgists who ended the Stone
Age to the shipbuilders who united the
world’s peoples through travel and trade,
the past witnessed many marvels of engi-
neering prowess. As civilization grew, it was
nourished and enhanced with the help of
increasingly sophisticated tools for agricul-
ture, technologies for producing textiles,
and inventions transforming human interac-
tion and communication. Inventions such as
the mechanical clock and the printing press
irrevocably changed civilization.
In the modern era, the Industrial Revolution
brought engineering’s influence to every
niche of life, as machines supplemented and
replaced human labor for countless tasks,
improved systems for sanitation enhanced
health, and the steam engine facilitated
mining, powered trains and ships, and pro-vided energy for factories