It is generally believed that we live in the most technologically advanced era, and everything that came before is old and obsolete. But this is not always the case. In the history of our civilization, there are many examples of inventions that were undeservedly lost and forgotten, only to be reinvented centuries later.
Mining Drill in Ancient China (II-III century AD)
Salt was one of the most vital resources in ancient times, as it was used to preserve food long before the invention of freezers. About 2000 years ago, people in China learned how to get salt directly out of the ground using advanced drilling technology. They used a bamboo drill with a heavy drum that beat rhythmically into the soil and could eventually reach a depth of 600 meters. Occasionally, during drilling, they would hit methane pockets, and, in the end, the engineers learned to mine and use it as well.
Greek Steam Engine (I century AD)
The first modern prototypes of steam engines appeared in the XVII century, but there was a man who thought of using steam long before that. The Greek scientist Heron wrote several books on engineering, wherein he described various inventions, including the “aeolipile,” also known as “Heron’s steam engine.” It was a metal ball with bent pipes, which spun under water vapor pressure, but it was too small and inefficient to be used for anything serious. Nevertheless, the basic principles of steam-powered engines were identified by scientists more than a thousand years before the rest of the world.
