In the mid-eighteenth century, pewterer Andreas Wirtz invented a spiral pump. Even today, his design is useful for small-scale, low-power pumping, as seen in this Steve Mould video. The design relies on a series of air and water plugs to build up pressure that’s then used to lift the fluids higher. In the video, Mould visits a stream-powered, home version of a Wirtz pump that regularly delivers water over eight meters in elevation. See it in action in the full video! (Video and image credit: S. Mould)