You probably thought robots were a relatively modern invention. According to some sources, they have been around as long as one of the early enablers of the Industrial Revolution,  the steam engine. Read about the world's first robot, Steam Man, created in 1865, and other "Mechanical Marvels of the Nineteenth Century." Be sure not to miss the profile of the most illustrious of these Victorian era robots, the legendary boilerplate, who "served with Roosevelt's Rough Riders and fought alongside Pancho Villa."