Engineering & Society
Engineering is History!
Engineering history is certainly making a comeback these days. Looking back to the past sometimes helps to see just how far we’ve come and can perhaps guide us in the future. A newly unveiled reconstruction of the Antikythera mechanism reveals how advanced ancient Greece was in mechanical engineering. Experts disagree as to whether this machine that calculates the positions of planets constitutes a computer or a glorified clock, but no doubt remains as to whether the Greeks were well ahead of their time. Great feats of engineering are also making their way into historical fiction, like in Clare Clark’s aptly-named The Great Stink, about the building of the London sewer system. Follow the main character, engineer William May, as he helps construct a labyrinth of pipes through 19th century London in an attempt to save the city from cholera.
