EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ADAM HART-DAVIS
Profiling the great engineers and their signature engineering feats, from antiquity to modern times
4 stars out of 5 stars
Let me first state my complain. The tiny print of this book strains the eyes. Such small print is a disincentive for reading and it does disservice to what is otherwise an excellent book. This, unfortunately, prevents the award of five stars.
The book profiles the great engineering feats and the engineers who built them, from antiquity to modern times. It begins with Imhotep, who designed and built the stepped Pyramid in Egypt (circa 2625 BC) and it ends with the Large Hadron Collider, a multi-national effort. The stories are grouped under five periods: The Early Engineers; Renaissance and Enlightenment; The Industrial Revolution; The Machine Age; and Modern Times. There are subheadings under each period. For example, “Developing the Steam Engine” and “Harnessing Electricity” are two subheadings under The Industrial Revolution.
The presentation of each period begins with a short summary and two pages of texts and photos chronologizing the various engineering feats. These feats, and the engineers responsible for them, are then profiled individually, with magnificent illustrations.
As an electrical engineer, I was happy to recognize the folks listed under “Harnessing Electricity” as well as those under “Radio and Sound” (ten total). However, I must admit that many of the engineers profiled in non-electrical related fields were unknown to me. Be that as it may, I can put them in three categories: (a) those that I knew well; (b) those I was aware of but did not know much details; (c) those I had not heard of. I am happy to say that, even in category (a), I learned something new from reading the book. Let me illustrate with an example in each category.
Example of category (a) – Christiaan Huygens
The name Christiaan Huygens was familiar to me. He was a Dutch Physicist/Engineer who proposed the wave nature of light. His mathematical theory of light was initially rejected in favor of Newton' corpuscular theory. That light also exhibited wave characteristics was accepted only when Augustin-Jean Fresnel adopted Huygens's theory to give a complete explanation of the rectilinear propagation and diffraction effects of light in 1821, almost a century and a half after it was proposed.
In reading “Engineers”, I learned that Huygens was the inventor of the pendulum clock. I was totally ignorant of this. I cannot help wondering how many engineers and physicists realize that the rather esoteric Huygens’ principle in optics and the easy to observe periodic swing of the pendulum clock were both originated by the same person.
Example of category (b) - Gustave Eiffel
I knew that the Eiffel Tower was named after its builder, but I did not know his first name was Gustave. I also did not know that the Tower was built as a “wonder” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It was erected in 1889, in time for the Paris World Fair. Parisians at first hated it, dismissing it as ugly and monstrous. Another surprise I learned was that, in 1885, Gustave Eiffel designed the wrought-iron skeleton for the Statute of Liberty in New York Harbor.
Example of category (c) – Lumiere Brothers
I mentioned earlier that Imhotep was the designer and builder of the stepped Pyramid in Egypt. I certainly had not heard of him before. That was understandable, as the pyramids are so far from our lives. Indeed, I have never been to the Pyramids.
Motion pictures, or cinemas, are ubiquitous in our daily lives. However, I wonder how many movie watchers have heard of the Lumiere Brothers. Not me, until I read “Engineers”. Now I know the Lumiere Brothers were the ones who made the first movie.
Concluding Remarks
The following remarks should leave no doubt of my high opinion of “Engineers”.
As a student, I had attended two engineering schools, for undergraduate and graduate studies. I had been a professor, department chairman and dean in several engineering schools, in the U.S. and in Hong Kong. Regrettably, I am not aware of a course introducing the students to the practice and development of engineering through the ages, and the notable engineers in this history. I am now making up this deficiency in my education by reading “Engineers”. My suggestion to the deans and department chairs of engineering schools is that such a course should be incorporated in the general education component of an engineering curriculum.
Stepped Pyramid of Djoser
International Space Station
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