Early Crane Evolution
Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptians created the very first recorded type of a crane. The original apparatus was known as a shaduf and was initially used to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam which balanced on a vertical support. On one end a bucket was connected and on the other end of the beam, a heavy weight was attached.
Cranes which were made in the first century were powered by humans or by animals that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. The crane consisted of a long wooden beam that was known as a boom. The boom was attached to a rotating base. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation that had a drum with a rope that wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook which lifted the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Cranes were used extensively throughout the Middle Ages to build the huge cathedrals within Europe. These devices were also designed to load and unload ships in main ports. Eventually, major crane design advancements evolved. Like for instance, a horizontal boom was added to and became known as the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, hence really increasing the machine's range of motion. After the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing which held the boom.
Cranes used animals and humans for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes rapidly when steam engines were developed. At the turn of the century, electric motors as well as internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Cranes also became designed out of steel and cast iron as opposed to wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They could obviously run longer as well with their new power sources and hence complete bigger jobs in less time.