About this episode

The episode explores the invention of a steam engine in Ancient Alexandria as a party trick and its impact on modern technology.

Long before steam trains, before factories, before the Industrial Revolution, someone figured out how to turn steam into motion. And he did it almost two thousand years ago in Ancient Alexandria, and the device he built wasn’t meant to power anything. It was a toy. A party trick. Dr Tatiana Bur, Lecturer in Classics at the Australian National University, tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) the story of how one man’s spinning little gadget went on to power the modern world. Binge all the episodes of No One Saw It Coming now on ABC listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch: Got a story for us? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at noonesawitcoming@abc.net.au

People in this episode

Host: Marc Fennell

Guest: Dr Tatiana Bur

Topics covered

• Ancient technology
• Steam power
• History of engineering
• Inventions
• Classical studies

Keywords

• steam engine
• Ancient Greece
• party trick
• technology
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Australian National University

Places: Ancient Alexandria

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