Inventor of steam power before steam engines were cool. Hero of Alexandria (fl. 1st century CE) built gadgets that whirred, hissed, and amazed — automata, vending machines, and the famous aeolipile, a spinning steam sphere that could've launched the industrial revolution… if anyone had noticed. Part engineer, part showman, Hero loved mechanics, math, and spectacle. His works blurred the line between temple magic and technical manual. Ancient science rarely looked this fun.