According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The aeolipile was a hollow sphere mounted so that it could turn on a pair of hollow tubes that provided steam to the sphere from a cauldron. The steam escaped from the sphere from one or more bent tubes projecting from its equator, causing the sphere to revolve. The aeolipile is the first known device to transform steam into rotary motion."
Rockets History
by Nick Greene
for About.com
Other experiments followed, including Hero of Alexandria’s "Aeolipile" around the second century AD. Hero of Alexandria was an important figure in the history of geometry an innovator in mechanics who invented many machines including the aeolipile.
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- Archytas of Tarentum
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- Chinese Fire Arrows
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- William Congreve Brings Rocketry Success to Britain
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