The invention of the wheel along with tools are the roots of mechanical engineering.
Step-by-step explanation:
The invention of the wheels and various mechanical implements and tools became the roots of mechanical engineering. This invention led to the great industrial revolutions in the Western World.
The invention of wheel and axle led James Watt to discover steam engine which changed the world it was and hence he is considered as the father of mechanical engineering. Many mechanical mechanisms like the wheel and axle, lever, pulley mechanisms etc were studied during the early civilizations.
The invention of machine tools led to a wide array of new discoveries which makes the world of mechanical engineering, which is always known as the mother of engineering.