Rotary Machines

 Rotary machines were one of the biggest advances the world ever took. Beginning in the Middle Ages with things like windmills and water wheels to power cotton spinners and grain grinders as well as a variety of others, rotary machines became more and more common-place. Later, inventors discovered ways to power them other than running water or wind with things such as steam engines. Some people were unsure whether this new technology was practical, especially in the navy, who questioned the wisdom of putting steam-powered turbines on huge expensive battleships that would be irrecoverable if the engines blew. However, they quickly came around when the steam-powered ships came close to double the speed of the previous ships.