The book of the famous Soviet writer L.I. Gumilevsky, first published in 1947, reveals the history of the development of science and technology on Russian soil from ancient times to the 20th century, shows the enthusiasm of domestic masters who did not lay down their weapons under any circumstances, inspires faith in the power of the human mind, in the power of knowledge, in overcoming difficulties, in the limitless possibilities of man, shows the fascination of the practical work of an engineer of various specialties.