People had been playing with the power of steam for centuries before the invention of practical steam engines. In the first century AD, a philosopher, Hero of Alexandria, invented the first known steam-driven device, the aeolipile. read more
The steam engine was then used to power factories and haul freight, leading to the invention of machinery and railroads. Thus was born the Industrial Revolution. The Romans used wood for heat and industrial processes, but did not require as much and could import it to Rome as necessary or move their industrial processes such as smelting to new locations where there was an abundance of trees. read more