Today, technology is advancing exponentially compared to three hundred years ago. Therefore, the question that arises is how this rapid method of technological and scientific progress came to be. It certainly started slowly. Most of the prolonged attacks on scientific and technological progress were due to theological convictions and political incompetence. It was only after the Protestant Reformation that significant progress was finally made; it was still progressing slowly. Many people would conclude that the defining moments occurred when Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz made important contributions to the field of mathematics through their discoveries in calculus. Although it played an important role in scientific discoveries, it did not replace the most important discovery of our time, the steam engine. This machine was the main engine of the industrial revolution. I hereby argue that this invention, the steam engine, is the most important creation in human history. Natural energy has been harnessed since the dawn of time to accomplish unnecessary tasks. Examples are natural elements, human and animal power. As has been proven, these factors are known to be unreliable. Over time, the need for an instrument, such as the steam engine, to perform work at efficient rates became more important. Heron of Alexandria is known for creating the concept of the steam engine (known as the aeolipile) around 10 CE. This device, created based on this concept, was rather used as an entertainment device for the administrator of Roman Egypt instead of being put into practice. Nearly fourteen centuries later, Denys Papin (born 1647-1714) studied the properties of steam while Thom...... middle of paper ......y two and a half million in 1850. Emigration to reduce population growth has been forced, for example by creating so-called prison asylums in Australia. This emigration was also possible due to better means of transportation such as steamships. In conclusion, the steam engine was responsible for man's current status. The human environment is smaller and more interconnected than ever. The fortunes and benefits of free trade, the efficiency of today's technology, and intermittent conflicts could all be attributed to the steam engine. Works Cited Rosen, William. The most powerful idea in the world: a story of steam, industry and invention. New York: Random House, 2010. Siegel, Beatrice. The steam engine. New York: Walker, 1986. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011.