Machines have always gone hand-in-hand with the cultural development of m- kind throughout time. A book on the history of machines is nothing more than a specific way of bringing light to human events as a whole in order to highlight some significant milestones in the progress of knowledge by a complementary persp- tive into a general historical overview. This book is the result of common efforts and interests by several scholars, teachers, and students on subjects that are connected with the theory of machines and mechanisms. In fact, in this book there is a certain teaching aim in addition to a general historical view that is more addressed to the achievements by “homo faber” than to those by “homo sapiens”, since the proposed history survey has been developed with an engineering approach. The brevity of the text added to the fact that the authors are probably not com- tent to tackle historical studies with the necessary rigor, means the content of the book is inevitably incomplete, but it nevertheless attempts to fulfil three basic aims: First, it is hoped that this book may provide a stimulus to promote interest in the study of technical history within a mechanical engineering context. Few are the co- tries where anything significant is done in this area, which means there is a general lack of knowledge of this common cultural heritage.

This work was originally published as four separate books; their titles, and reviewers' comments, are given below: History of the Gear-Cutting Machine: A Historical Study in Geometry and Machines "The book represents an overwhelmingly well-done job of reducing a great mass of material—scholarly references, patents, catalogs, engineering and trade journals, and machines themselves—into a logical story of development. Written with zest and relish, this vivid account presents a wealth of unusual information. The illustrations are particularly good, for many of them come from previously untapped sources." —Technology and Culture History of the Grinding Machine: A Historical Study in Tools and Precision Production "From the polished artifacts of prehistoric times Mr. Woodbury traces the development of methods, abrasives, and the machine tools which interdependently contributed to the advanced grinding techniques used today. Many fine illustrations." —The Tool Engineer History of the Milling Machine: A Study in Technical Development "Mr. Woodbury traces the evolution of milling machines from Eli Whitney's machine (circa 1820), the first miller ever built, to numerical controlled milling machines.... presented cleanly with ample detail. Fine illustration and complete bibliography are provided." —The Tool Engineer History of the Lathe to 1850: A Study in the Growth of a Technical Element of an Industrial Economy "Woodbury, who teaches the history of technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is at work on a history of machine design which promises to alter our perspectives not only in his special field but in general cultural history.... His present history of the lathe (to about 1850) absorbs the entire previous literature and goes far beyond it." —Lynn White, Jr.

From the medieval farm implements used by the first colonists to the invisible links of the Internet, the history of technology in America is a history of society as well. This title analyzes technology's impact on the lives of women and men. It also discusses the innovation of an American system of manufactures.

Traces the development of machine tools and workshop techniques and highlights the contributions of various toolmakers.

It necessitated a technological response: first the armored tank, then the jet fighter, and, perhaps ultimately, the hydrogen bomb.

How ed tech was born: Twentieth-century teaching machines--from Sidney Pressey's mechanized test-giver to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist bell-ringing box. Contrary to popular belief, ed tech did not begin with videos on the internet. The idea of technology that would allow students to "go at their own pace" did not originate in Silicon Valley. In Teaching Machines, education writer Audrey Watters offers a lively history of predigital educational technology, from Sidney Pressey's mechanized positive-reinforcement provider to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist bell-ringing box. Watters shows that these machines and the pedagogy that accompanied them sprang from ideas--bite-sized content, individualized instruction--that had legs and were later picked up by textbook publishers and early advocates for computerized learning. Watters pays particular attention to the role of the media--newspapers, magazines, television, and film--in shaping people's perceptions of teaching machines as well as the psychological theories underpinning them. She considers these machines in the context of education reform, the political reverberations of Sputnik, and the rise of the testing and textbook industries. She chronicles Skinner's attempts to bring his teaching machines to market, culminating in the famous behaviorist's efforts to launch Didak 101, the "pre-verbal" machine that taught spelling. (Alternate names proposed by Skinner include "Autodidak," "Instructomat," and "Autostructor.") Telling these somewhat cautionary tales, Watters challenges what she calls "the teleology of ed tech"--the idea that not only is computerized education inevitable, but technological progress is the sole driver of events.