I've been watching a series of programs on the History Channel about ancient Chinese technology. It's highly obvious that we modern people are not the original inventors of automatic machines, complex mass production factories, or even computers. The Chinese had all of these things more than 1,000 years ago. Truly incredible feats of science and engineering.
Some of the things that are impressive are like the semi-automatic repeating crossbow, flame throwers, rocket launchers, automatic trip hammers for mass production metal work, a grain mill that used a single large water wheel to drive a complex series of gears that turned not just one but nine grindstones, and automatic adding machines.
The most impressive of all was a very complex, five story tall water powered mechanical computer used to precisely measure time down to the second. It tracked the days, years, and seasons, as well as the positions of the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. A truly incredible accomplishment.
They were also masters of metallurgy and had discovered how to make and use chromium 1,000 years before the West. Many of the swords that have been discovered buried in tombs over 1,000 years ago remain both razor sharp and shiny to this day thanks to their use of chromium to plate the blades.
The ancient Chinese used techniques and principles still used in modern machines and factories today, and they were doing it as much as 2,000 years ago. The West didn't start discovering and using most of these principles and techniques until the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of them, such as the use of chromium, weren't discovered by Western society until the middle of the 20th century.
One has to wonder what those brilliant ancient engineers could have accomplished had they discovered how to harness electricity.