author
Eugene S. Ferguson
1916–2004
An engineer turned historian, he helped readers see that technology is shaped not just by equations and machines, but by imagination, drawing, and practical skill. His work became especially influential for explaining how engineers think.
1 Audiobook
Kinematics of Mechanisms from the Time of Watt
by Eugene S. Ferguson
About the author
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1916, Eugene S. Ferguson trained as a mechanical engineer at Carnegie Institute of Technology and spent years in industry before moving into the history of technology. He later worked with major historical institutions including the Smithsonian and the Hagley Museum, and also taught at Iowa State University and the University of Delaware.
Ferguson is best remembered for bringing engineering practice and historical scholarship together. His best-known book, Engineering and the Mind's Eye (1992), argued that visual thinking, sketching, and hands-on judgment are central to engineering work. That idea made him an important voice in both the history of technology and engineering education.
He died in 2004. Across his career, he was widely respected for showing that technology is a deeply human activity, shaped by experience, creativity, and the ability to picture how things can be made.