“How It Works” Throughout History, In Pictures

Some of the greatest moments ever in figuring out how stuff works
Wikimedia Commons

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Here at PopSci, there’s nothing we love more than figuring out how something works, be it the latest technology, or a scientific breakthrough. That moment of discovery – let’s call it a “how it works moment” – is almost as exciting for us buffs as it is for the researchers.

Here, we take a look back at some of history’s most fascinating “how it works moments” and the images that define them. It’s not always a cutaway or a teardown, but our desire to see how things work with our own eyes hasn’t changed over the years.

Click to launch a gallery of historical “how it works moments.”