#evolution of engineering

As Elon Musk quoted “engineering is the closest thing to magic that exists in the world”, no doubt engineers are the ones who are truly responsible for the creation of every notable advancement in tools and technology since ancient times be it the building of roads and bridges, commercial airplanes, microwaves or electrical and electronic devices, machinery, and systems. But over the years this industry has seen a complete transformation. It is no longer limited just to bridge building and steam engines it has expanded to everything from cloud experts to robotics.

Let’s dive into how engineering has evolved over the centuries.

Ancient Times

Let’s start with the most common branch of engineering that is civil engineering when Imhotep, the Egyptian chancellor and a legend designed and supervised the construction of the first pyramid in Egypt. 

 During this time only analog computers were invented and the “Antikythera mechanism” was used to predict the astronomical positions that show a solid foundation of mechanical engineering back in the days.

Middle Era

This era is considered as the age of inventions. Students who treat engineering as their passion must have heard of the name Al-Jazari. He is one of the greatest engineers of his times who came up with the first-ever water supply system, suction pumps, crankshafts, and a variety of clocks. He also wrote a book filled with more than fifty inventions that are still used in modern-day engineering.

The renaissance of engineering

Around the 1600s, electrical engineering came into the picture when William Gilbert who is known as the father of electricity and magnetism coined the word “electricity” in his publication De Magnete. During this time only Thomas Savery built the first-ever steam engine that led to the way for the industrial revolution.

The Modern Era

Industrial Revolution

Around the 1800s, engineering jobs took off and led to the exploration of different branches of engineering. Chemical and electrical engineering developed, marine engineering came into the picture when people started taming the dangers of oceans, aeronautical engineers started creating fights for masses and industrial engineers started mass production.

The information age

After the Second World War, the world saw an eruption of engineering jobs due to the invention of new technologies. Turbojets and rockets led to the propelling of aeronautical engineering whereas nuclear powers lead to the hurling of nuclear engineering. But the driving forces were computers and forces that drove forward engineering during that period.

Present Times

In present times, engineering has evolved manifold. Tech continues to expand with the use of super specialist computers. Javascript programmers, cloud specialist, operating systems, testers, developers, have become increasingly advanced. Be it big empires or small businesses everyone relies on proprietary code to run their businesses. Everyday engineers are trying to transform dreams into reality with more and more use of artificial intelligence, internet of things, etc.