At one time an Engineer was someone who created practical and nifty inventions, certainly slightly more simplified than the engineers of today but with a similar core principle. Essentially engineer comes from the word engine, dating back to 1325 and derived from the Latin word Ingenuim, meaning innate quality in relation to mental power, an apt title for the profession. As man evolved further into the world there were the creations of levers, the pully and the wheel which explores just how far engineering has advanced since the 1300âs as now more than 700 years later we are seeing designs for advanced robotics and space skyscrapers.
The general history of engineering has four roughly divided sections each marked by a revolution.
The Prescientific Revolution-featuring ancient master builders and Renaissance engineers such as Da Vinci.
The Industrial Revolution-starting from the 18th century and expanding into the 19th, mechanical and civil engineers changed from practical arts to professions of a more scientific basis.
The Second Industrial Revolution-before WWII, chemical, electrical and other science based engineering branches developed telecommunicators, cars, airplanes, electricity and mass production.
The Information Revolution: after the war engineering sciences matured greatly and created computers, telecommunicators, microelectronics and information technology.
The earliest recorded engineer was Imhotep, an Egyptian man who is believed to have designed and supervised the construction of the great pyramid of Djoser, a step pyramid. He is also believed to be a polymath and the first know architect and physician. It is thought Imhotep was an official of Pharaoh Djoser and it is likely he was the first person to make use of columns in architecture. The great pyramid was built around 2630 BC and still stands at Saqqara. It is undeniable if Imhotep remained today engineering at present would be of extreme fascination due to the dramatic leaps the profession has undertaken over the centuries since his designs were developed.
The concept of engineering has existed since ancient times as humans devised fundamental inventions for human kind and for the world. Each invention from long within the past remains consistent with the modern definitions of engineering where the basic mechanical principles are exploited and developed to create useful tools, objects and inventions.
