The steam engine and the other associated technologies of the Industrial Revolution changed the world and influenced human history so much, that in the words of the historian Ian Morris, "... they made mockery out of all that had come before."
A máquina a vapor e outras tecnologias associadas à Revolução Industrial  mudaram o mundo e influenciaram tanto a História do Homem que, nas palavras  do historiador Ian Morris, minimizaram tudo  o que aparecera anteriormente.