Know What you are Doing!

So all the engineers there! here is my first post.

Have you, being an engineer, ever thought "what you actually are doing(or have done)?" well, of course you are doing engineering, but what is it? what is engineering? when did it start? who started it? who would have been called the first engineer? all these questions never arise in our mind.
Well, according to wikipedia, "Engineering is the application of scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design, build, and maintain structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes". Quite boring, isn't it? But this is what you are doing.

Engineering has existed since ancient times as humans devised fundamental inventions such as the pulley, lever, and wheel. Each of these inventions is consistent with the modern definition of engineering, exploiting basic mechanical principles to develop useful tools and objects.

The term engineering itself has a much more recent etymology, deriving from the word engineer, which itself dates back to 1325, when an engine'er (literally, one who operates an engine) originally referred to "a constructor of military engines.

The word "engine" itself is of even older origin, ultimately deriving from the Latin ingenium (c. 1250), meaning "innate quality, especially mental power, hence a clever invention."

Later, as the design of civilian structures such as bridges and buildings matured as a technical discipline, the term civil engineering entered the lexicon as a way to distinguish between those specializing in the construction of such non-military projects and those involved in the older discipline of military engineering.
As for the development of engineering through times, it can be divided into four eras- Ancient Era, Middle Era, Renaissance Era, Modern era.
The earliest civil engineer known by name is Imhotep (of Egypt). As one of the officials of the Pharaoh, Djosèr, he probably designed and supervised the construction of the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara in Egypt around 2630-2611 BC. He may also have been responsible for the first known use of columns in architecture.