i6o : The Atlantic 



the invention of the steam engine and the application of mechanical 

 power to transportation and industry, thus, to the end o£ the eight- 

 eenth century, the nineteenth century and the present. We should not 

 feel, however, that technological improvement had to wait upon this 

 first utilization of steam and it should not blind us to the fact that 

 the industrial revolution was preceded by simpler but very definite 

 improvements in technology and mechanical progress that began in 

 earlier ages and notably in the Renaissance. 



Thus, to cite only two examples, Leonardo da Vinci was not only a 

 notable artist but also an inventor and a mechanical genius who antic- 

 ipated the flying machine and scores of other inventions, and Ben- 

 venuto Cellini, who was primarily an artist in jewelry and a gold- and 

 silversmith, took great delight also in general metallurgy and in the 

 casting of the coarse metals including the production of cannon for 

 the siege of Florence. 



Among the improvements that came along in this period we may 

 refer to such matters as the increased size and improved design of 

 windmills, notably in Holland, but also quite generally all over 

 Europe; the use of mechanical pumps and hoisting machinery for 

 mines; an interest in transportation and communication between 

 countries with consequent rehabilitation and extension of highways; 

 a new interest in agriculture and horticulture; the development of 

 gardens with better selection of trees and plants and flowers, and of 

 course there were also improvements taking place in the design and 

 use of ships. 



All of these changes had their influences on the population of 

 Europe and set the stage for the work of Henry the Navigator and 

 the great century of exploration and discovery. 



By our modern standards each of these represented only a slight 

 improvement over what had existed in preceding ages; taken to- 

 gether, however, they had far-reaching effects. 



In Europe, increased travel and improved methods of travel and 

 communication tended to improve the volume and variety of food 

 supply and to eliminate local shortages and local famines. Even slight 

 increases in compensations to laborers, ardsans and tradesmen were 

 reflected in a more general capacity to buy the foodstuffs which small 

 improvements in agriculture made available and also facilitated the 

 distribution of foodstuffs and of other articles of trade that resulted 

 from Europe's suddenly expanded contacts with all other parts of the 

 world. The prospect of a wider world stimulated European growth; 



