The history of engineering can be traced directly alongside the evolution of the modern world, with countless scientific breakthroughs and revolutions marking mankind’s journey towards ever more sophisticated methods of controlling and exploiting the world around them. 
A complete history of all of these discoveries, inventions and breakthroughs would make for a very long article, but here are five time periods that marked particularly significant advancements in our knowledge and understanding of the discipline.
A Society of Ingenious Ones
Long before the Scientific Revolution began at the dawn of the 17th century, the world’s first engineers - from the Latin word ingenitor meaning “ingenious ones,” - were artisans who used primeval tools to experiment building new devices and structures. These talented tinkerers are responsible for some of the world’s most mysterious and admired monuments still standing today. For example, the Egyptian Pyramids and Machu Piccu were both constructed during this era.
The Scientific Revolution
With the help of Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei and countless other astronomers and early scientists, the foundations of modern science truly emerged during the Scientific Revolution. Laws of planetary motion and universal gravitation, along with the development of the telescope and other optic devices contributed to this period of major scientific change. The Scientific Revolution saw radical changes in the way scientists worked, with experimentation evolving from a primarily trial and error-based approach to an expertise driven by mechanical, empirical and mathematical methodologies that still influence engineering today.
The Industrial Revolution
The developments of the Scientific Revolution set the groundwork for the First Industrial Revolution. Manual labor was slowly replaced by machines powered by steam engines, with the engineers who created these machines gaining widespread recognition for their skill and professionalism. As Europe began to introduce new engineering disciplines, such as civil engineering in France and mechanical engineering in England, journals and societies accelerated the circulation of information, which allowed universities to begin developing the first engineering curriculums.
The Technological Revolution
The disciplines spearheaded during the First Industrial Revolution made way for the rise of mass production and electricity that launched the Technological Revolution - or the Second Industrial Revolution, as it is often known. This period marked the advent of flight, as aeronautic engineers built the first airplanes and mass production and distribution were achieved with the onset of industrial engineering. The greatest feats of this era, however, were accomplished with the arrival of electrical and chemical engineering, disciplines that grew from chemistry and physics, and became the foundation for the modern chemical and electrical industries. Research began to play a significant role in the field during this period and universities began to establish graduate programs for engineering students.
The Age of Information
As a result of graduate education, engineering research expanded rapidly after World War II, driven mostly by the evolution of computers and microelectronics. This intensive research led to the establishment of widely accepted engineering theories that are still taught in universities today.
This period also saw the birth of astronautic engineering with the first man to travel to space in 1961 and nuclear engineering becoming a graduate study program in the 1950s. Modern technology benefited most from the physical sciences, where disciplines such as microelectronics continue to advance. The union between engineering and physical sciences such as physics and chemistry is only expected to grow stronger as our understanding continues to deepen.
What's your favourite period of engineering history? Which do you think was the most significant? Let us know in the comments section below...