The HMM2004 International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms is the second event of a series that has been started in 2000 as main activity of the IFToMM Permanent Commission for History of MMS, Mechanism and Machine Science.

History of IFToMM.- A Short Introduction on IFToMM Officers Over Time.- On the IFToMM Permanent Commission for History of MMS.- Past, Present and Future in Mechanism and Machine Science Terminology.- Development and Activities of the IFToMM Rotordynamic Committee, 1977–2004.- Ancient Machines.- A Study on Western and Chinese Locks Based on Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.- A Simulating Experiment on the Ancient Chinese Astronomical Clock Tower.- Engineering Aspects of the Collapse of the Colossus of Rhodes Statue.- “Deus-Ex-Machina” Reconstruction and Dynamics.- Past Ideas for New Designs.- Some Examples from the History of Machinery in Teaching TMM.- Marionette: From Traditional Manipulation to Robotic Manipulation.- People in MMS and Their Works.- Bauman University TMM Department in the Former Half of the XXTH Century (Professor N. Mertsalov & Professor L. Smirnov).- History of Machines and Mechanisms by the Stevens Family and at Stevens Institute of Technology.- Russian Scientist — Mechanics Ufimtsev A.G..- The Kinematic Work of W. Wunderlich.- Historical Development of Theories.- The Archimedean Screw-Pump: A Note on Its Invention and the Development of the Theory.- A Note on the History of Trigonometric Functions.- On the Development of the Constraint Motion Theory of Franz REULEAUX— An Overview.- The Contribution of Coulomb to Applied Mechanics.- Mechanical Designs.- Development of Design of Ship-To-Shore Container Cranes: 1959–2004.- Evolution of Design, Use and Strength Calculations of Screw Threads and Threaded Joints.- Industrial Archaeology: From the 17th to the 21st Century. Reconstruction of Herschel’s Telescope.- Piston Engine Versus Rotary Engine – Possible Structural Solutions in the Invention and Development of the Steam Engine Before1900.- Mechanism Analysis and Design.- Historical Evolution of the Classification of Mechanisms.- On the History of Focal Mechanisms and Their Derivatives.- Historical Evolution of the Pole-Theory.- The Reuleaux Models: Creating an International Digital Library of Kinematics History.- Automata and Robots.- The History of the Creation and Development of Hand-Operated Balanced Manipulators (HOBM).- Development of Walking Machines; Historical Perspective.- Biped Robots: The State of Art.- The Early Development of Remote Tele- manipulation Systems.