"Mechanical engineering." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 5th ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2014. Science in Context. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.
Mechanical engineering primarily deals with designing, making, and operating machines
Waterwheels, windmills, pyramid traps, etc, all are examples of ancient mechanical engineering
Antikythera mechanism from 150-100 BCE; stunning example of ancient engineering
Antikythera mechanism was supposedly a kind of mechanical computer that used multiple, interconnected gears to calculate the positions of celestial bodies like the moon, sun, and planets.
Sophistication like the Antikythera mechanism would not be found for another 1500 years
A mechanical engineer: someone who had been trained at an accredited college or university, many cases involved postgraduate certification as a specialty
Common classes that relate to mechanical engineering: Newtonian physics, advanced algebra, calculus, computer aided design, electronics, product design, thermodynamics, robotics, hydraulics, pneumatics
Resource utilization is a big problem in mechanical engineering; finding the right materials to use for engineering causes it to increase the difficulty of various engineering projects.
The source gave a very broad and cohesive mechanical engineering overview and explicates the various aspects of the mechanical engineering field.