Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mechanical engineering began thousands of years before the Industrial Revolution when the wheel emerged independently in Mesopotamia and Eastern Europe. This ancient technology formed the foundation of the six classic simple machines known to the ancient Near East.
Heron of Alexandria created the first steam-powered device known as the Aeolipile between 10 and 70 AD. Zhang Heng improved the water clock and invented a seismometer during the same historical period from 78 to 139 AD.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was formed in 1847 as the first British professional society of mechanical engineers. This occurred thirty years after the civil engineers formed the first such professional society known as the Institution of Civil Engineers.
The median annual income of mechanical engineers in the U.S. workforce was $80,580 in 2012. The median income was highest when working for the government at $92,030 and lowest in education at $57,090.
The basis of the finite element method or finite element analysis dates back to 1941. The evolution of computers has made this method a viable option for the analysis of structural problems in modern mechanical engineering.