I’ve found that history and science are two of my favorite topics. And maybe they are yours as well. If that’s the case, you have come to the right place, because you’ll learn plenty of both in this book. Not only will you read about both subjects, but you’ll also have opportunities to step out and actually touch history by re-creating, at least after a fashion, some of the great inventions of the past. The way this happens is through something called DIY science. DIY stands for do-it-yourself, and that means you can actually do some of the same things that the great scientists you’ll read about did.

There are many different ways to study these great inventions from the past. One way is to learn the history of how they were invented. That usually means learning about the people who invented them—where they lived, how they went about the inventing process, and if you’re really a scholar, you will go on to find out how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Another way to study an invention is to learn the scientific principles behind it. For instance, if the invention is a construction crane, it would make sense to understand the physics of simple machines, and the materials science that explains why some materials are stronger and more suited for making such a contraption.

And a third way to study an invention is to re-create the invention yourself. This way gives you an intimate understanding of how and why something works. If you take the time to try a few of the projects in this book, you’ll get a special type of understanding that can only come to you from doing things yourself.

This book is about using all three ways—history, science, and building the thing ourselves—to become knowledgeable about many great inventions from the distant past and why they are still relevant today.

The ReMaking History Timeline

First, let’s take a look at the projects that this book covers. As you’ll notice in Figure 1, the time period is a very long one! These inventions are some of the first technical creations ever devised, and they are the bedrock upon which much of future technology stands. The earliest invention described in this book is the oil lamp, and that goes back to the time before there were any written records.

A long, long time elapses before we get to our next invention. But that doesn’t mean nothing was happening during those 12,000 years or so. People were building cities, domesticating animals, figuring out how to farm, and taking many other steps forward on the march toward modern civilization. But if the truth be told, the pace of progress was pretty slow.

Eventually, however, things picked up. The Egyptians were incredible builders and makers. There are the pyramids, which you are familiar with, of course, but there’s also the shadoof (a machine for irrigating farm fields), papyrus sheets for writing upon, the ox-drawn plow, and the project you’ll find in one of the early chapters of this book called the bag press.

After the Egyptians came the Greeks and Romans, and they were no slouches at coming up with great new ideas. Metal casting, concrete, and steam power are just a few of their many contributions. There are three examples of history-making Greek and Roman inventions in this book—the water screw, the siphon, and the gin-pole crane.

But after this period of great advancement, another long stretch of time passes that sees a much slower rate of technological advancement. This period is often called the Dark Ages. It lasted a very long time, from roughly 500 CE to 1000 CE. But finally, the pace of progress began to pick up—an example of this is the Oliver hammer, which was thought up by an anonymous medieval blacksmith.

At long last, starting in the 1300s, the development of what we think of today as modern science and technology began in earnest—this period, which many historians refer to as the Early Modern Era, was the beginning of contemporary thinking. It was during this time that Greek and Roman science was rediscovered and people began to think in ways that helped them understand their world better.

There are quite a few projects in this book that date from the Early Modern Era. From the navigational devices of Levi ben Gershon to Otto von Guericke’s vacuum pump, to Dame Juliana Berners’s fishing equipment, the period between the end of the Dark Ages and Isaac Newton was the time during which a great many important scientific discoveries were made.

How This Book Is Organized

As you turn these pages, you may imagine yourself walking through the galleries and arcades of a science museum. As in a museum, each chapter spotlights a great thinker or inventor from the past and contains a description of what that person did to make it into the history books. This book focuses on a particular time—the years stretching from the dawn of civilization to the year 1700 CE or so. We’ll meet and learn about the people who were scientists before the word “scientist” even existed.

First, we’ll take a brief look at each person and what kind of man or woman they were. Next, we’ll examine each one’s claim to fame: that is, the wonderful or important thing they invented, the nature of the science behind that invention, and how it made the world a better place. Finally, and this is the best part, we’ll build a simplified version of that invention so we can really understand it and see for ourselves how and why it works.

By the way, this book is part of a series. In addition to looking at the works of these early inventors in this book, the other books in this series examine the contribution of famous inventors like Benjamin Franklin, Charles Goodyear, and Humphry Davy, along with some less-well-known but still very important inventors such as Squire Whipple, Henry Bessemer, and August Möbius.

First Things First: Being Safe

The projects described in the following pages have been designed so you can make and use them as safely as possible. However, as you try them out, there is still a possibility that something unexpected may occur. Many of the projects involve the use of nails, saws, glue, and heavy weights, and you need to be careful when you work with these items. It is important that you understand that neither the author, the publisher, nor the bookseller can or will guarantee your safety. When you try the projects described here, you do so at your own risk.

These are your general safety rules. You will also find some specific safety instructions for particular projects or experiments in the chapters in which those projects are described.

• Read the entire project description carefully before you begin the experiment. Make sure you understand what the experiment is about, and what it is that you are trying to accomplish. If something is unclear, reread the directions until you fully comprehend them.
• Wear protective eyewear, gloves, and so on, when indicated in the directions.
• The instructions and information are provided here for your use without any guarantee of safety. Each project has been extensively tested in a variety of conditions. But variations, mistakes, and unforeseen circumstances can and do occur; therefore, all projects and experiments are performed at your own risk. If you don’t agree with this, then put this book down; it is not for you.
• Finally, believe me when I tell you that it’s no fun getting hurt. I want you to stay in one piece. And the very best way to do that is to use your own common sense. If something doesn’t seem right, stop and review what’s happening. (That doesn’t just pertain to what’s in this book; that’s my advice to you in general.) You must take responsibility for your personal safety and the safety of others around you.