The document discusses different types of lathes throughout history. It describes how the earliest lathes from 850 AD consisted of a rotating cylinder powered by a crank that was used to draw water. It then explains that a horizontal lathe works in a plane with two axes (Z,X) and may or may not have a stand to elevate it. Finally, it outlines that modern machining centers can have over 100 automatic tool changers to quickly produce complex parts with high accuracy and speed, manufacturing complicated workpieces within minutes.