Are the British to blame

@Justice4All

Then by all means, let's see your "ample proof" for these remarkable claims.

@Thinkerbell Research the Nok culture of Nigeria. Archaeological excavations at sites in Taruga and the Nsukka region of Nigeria, along with various sites in Niger and Mali, serve as evidence of iron and steel production in Africa dating back to as early as 1500 BC. Findings include slag heaps, furnaces, and iron artifacts, demonstrating a long history of metalworking in Africa.

West African ethnic groups, such as the Dogon and Yoruba, have oral traditions of iron and steelmaking processes.

@Justice4All Interesting... I doubt anyone knows for certain where smelting and refining metal ores was first discovered, as opposed to the earliest traces known. Perhaps it did indeed come from Africa.

Making iron and steel on a large [i]industrial [/i]scale and consistency is historically very recent though, and these manufacturing methods are European developments, although of course smelting iron and forging it have been known for a very long time. I don't know if the Romans used iron but they certainly used bronze, as did the Ancient Greeks. How they learnt these skills, and from whom, is another matter and it is possible their source of knowledge was Africa.

You say the first i.c. engine was Chinese (creating a practical, versatile form is normally credited to German engineers). What form did it take and was it ever developed to practical forms, or, like Hero's small reaction steam-turbine, was it an experiment far ahead of its time?