He was famous for keeping them secret. His engineering triumphs were
military secrets.
Archimedes military applications are a matter of public record. See
-Plutarch's Lives-.
His greatest "stunt" was rigging a pulley so that King Hieron could pull
a fully loaded freight ship onto shore just by turning a crank. He also
made a name for himself by inventing a screw type water lifter, whose
design is still in use.
