Medieval inventions

Printing press Printing press, 1440 CE Invented by Johannes

Gutenberg in Germany, the printing press could print text quickly, unlike block printing, which had to be done by hand.

Keeping time

The first mechanical clock was invented by China’s Su Sung. It was powered by the energy of falling water and the bucket collecting the water had to be emptied regularly. The first clock to use a clockwork mechanism (powered by a wound-up spring), appeared in Europe more than 200 years later.

Horseshoe, 400–450 CE Metal shoes, nailed to horses’ hooves, appeared in western Europe by about 450 CE. Longbow, 1200 CE

The English longbow was much more powerful than the ordinary bow and helped the English win many battles against the French. Despite its name, it originated in Wales. Artesian well, 1126 CE An Artesian well allowed access to underground water without the need for it to be pumped. The earliest known well was dug in Artois, France.

Stern-mounted rudder, 1180 CE The rudder enabled ships to steer through water more easily. The earliest known evidence of a rudder was found in Belgian art.

EUROPE

Eyeglasses Hourglass, 1338 CE Invented by the Venetians, the hourglass was ideal at sea because its accuracy was unaffected by bobbing waves.

Plow

SOUTH AMERICA

Rope bridge, 600 CE The earliest known rope bridge was built in Peru. The design has since inspired some of the world’s largest suspension bridges. Spectacles, 1286 CE

In 1286, Italian monk

Giordano da Pisa wrote a description of eyeglasses— the first mention of them anywhere in the world. Heavy plow, 650 CE The heavy plow allowed farmers to farm on dense clay soil, which helped to increase food production throughout northern Europe.

“ The greatest inventions were produced in the times of ignorance.”

Jonathan Swift, Britsh author, in Thoughts on Various Subjects, 1727

450– 1500 CE Medieval inventions

The medieval era—between around 450 and 1500 CE—was a time of great technological advancements across Europe and the Far East. During this period, European explorers also swapped many ideas with people from the Islamic world and China.

Windmill

Windmill, 644 CE The first windmills appeared in Persia and were used to grind grain and pump water.

ASIA

Gunpowder, 850 CE Gunpowder was first used by the Chinese to scare away what they believed were evil spirits. Later, it became a key part of explosives and flamethrowers.

Horse collar, 470–500 CE The horse collar enabled a horse to pull three times more weight. Evidence of its earliest known use has been found in the Mogao Caves in China.

Wood block printing, 650 CE Invented in China during the Tang Dynasty, block printing allowed scrolls and books to be produced quickly.

Spinning wheel Compass, 1040–44 CE The Chinese military was the first to employ the magnetic compass for navigation. Chinese sailors had adapted it for sea use by 1117 CE.

Spinning wheel, 1150 CE Invented in China, the spinning wheel was used to turn animal or plant fiber into threads for making clothes.

Mechanical clock, 1088 CE (See box on opposite page).

AFRICA

Paper money, 900 CE Paper money first appeared in the great trading city of Chengdu in China.

Paper money

The modern world

Modern technology Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the greatest engineers of the 1800s, oversees the building of his steamship Great Eastern in 1857. Able to sail from Britain to Australia without refueling, it represents an era of exploration and technology.