Medieval Technology and American History - In-Depth Articles

Stronger than One Hundred Men: the Vertical Waterwheel From the Collections at Historic Bethlehem [PA]Historians of technology have distinguished five eras in the history of technology: an era dominated by human muscle power, an era when human power was supplemented by animal power, an era of water power, an era of steam power, and an era of nuclear power. In each of these eras the major source of power, or energy, determined the types of products that emerged and the size of the machinery and tools developed to make these products.The vertical waterwheel was one of the most important sources of energy to be developed. Invented a century or two before the time of Christ, it was a major turning point in the history of technology. For centuries, man had relied on human and animal muscle power for all kinds of work. The waterwheel enabled man for the first time to use an inanimate power source for industrial production and it had this major impact on technological and industrial developme...