Discuss how knowledge about the history of engineering can be relevant for today’s engineers.
Give a brief summary of the most important technological achievements by the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the
Romans.
Discuss what role engineers played for the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
Give a brief summary of the most important technological achievements during medieval times.
Explain why the invention of gunpowder was so important, and compare it to the much earlier military innovations by the
Sumerians and Egyptians.
Discuss the historical importance of Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1439. Was Gutenberg an engineer? Why or why
not?
Explain, in your own words, the importance of the Industrial Revolution and the role engineers played in it.
Mention some of the most significant technical inventions during the Industrial Revolution.
Was it a coincidence that the steam engine was invented before the lightbulb, or could these and other events have occurred in a
different order?
What isEgyptians? What are the best arguments for and against this view?
What are social constructivism (about technology) and co–constructivism claims about? That is, what question or questions do these
theories seek to answer?
