Edit: I’m wondering about European and Chinese peoples particularly, since my current knowledge of those regions makes me think they were generally the world leaders in technology. I’m also aware that Arabic cultures made a lot of contributions to astronomy, so if you know something of them I’d be delighted to hear it.
Hi OP, as this question is currently worded, it's in violation of the subreddit's example-seeking rule (formerly known as "throughout history"), since, by not specifying which "people" you want to know about, it appears to be asking for examples from any culture anywhere anytime.
Could you narrow the scope please? What culture/country/region are you curious about, and during which time period? That info will greatly assist anyone considering answering here. Thanks!