victoria.kickham@reedbusiness.com

Have you ever wondered where bearings came from? Well, wonder no more. The Bearing Specialists Assn. has an answer for you. BSA, which represents distributors and manufacturers of bearings, recently published A Brief History of Bearings, detailing the origins and evolution of bearings dating back to ancient Egypt.

According to BSA, the earliest bearings were made of wood, and the use of a rolling element to move heavy objects dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Much later, Leonardo da Vinci, employed for a time as a hydraulic engineer serving the Duke of Milan, spent time analyzing bearings, linkages, gears and various other mechanical transmission modes. What's more, many of his ideas are still cele-brated in engineering circles.

The report goes on to say that steel developments in the 1800s transformed bearing manufacture and use, and it traces more recent developments in the second half of the 20th century.

BSA's Educational Services Committee compiled the report, which joins a list of several other publications, including: Bearing Repair, Vibration Analysis, Seal Selection, Load Ratings and Bearing Life, The Domestic Bearing Industry: Investing in the Future, History of Adhesives, and more.

For more information, visit www.bsahome.org.

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