Exhibitions related to Engineering

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Doodles, Drafts & Designs- Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian

Doodles, Drafts & Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian


How do ideas evolve into reality? Doodles, Drafts, and Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian offers a fascinating glimpse into inventors' sketchbooks, engineers' mechanical drawings, and architects' renderings from the 1830s to the 1990s, to show the origins of some of the most familiar sites and devices of modern-day life.
Make the Dirt Fly! Building the Panama Canal

Make the Dirt Fly! Building the Panama Canal


For hundreds of years people dreamed of linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the narrow neck of land connecting North and South America–the Panama Canal. In 1904, the U.S. government embarked on the largest civil engineering project in history, and today, after more than eight decades of efficient operation, the Panama Canal remains a symbol of human creativity, persistence, and achievement.
Ramelli's Machines- Original drawings of 16th century machines

Ramelli's Machines: Original drawings of 16th century machines


The military engineer Agostino Ramelli produced a remarkable illustrated book in 1588 describing a large number of machines that he devised. Called Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli (The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli), this work had a great impact in the field of mechanical engineering. The book contains 195 superb engravings of various machines along with detailed descriptions of each one in both French and Italian. The Dibner Library has original drawings of seven of the machines and this web site has been developed to further research on these artworks.