MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES

Fire

35,000 BCE

There are many mithological explanations about how fire was discovered. Each culture seemed to have their own. Must historians believe that fire was discovered when lightning hit a tree, and people were amazed by it. Soon, men understood that fire could satisfy most of their elemental survival needs . They started using fire for keeping their homes warm, keeping animals away, and for cooking. It is believed that fire was first seen during the lower Paleolithic age in Israel.

Writing Systems

35,000 BCE

Human beings developed a language in 35 000 BCE in caves, but the first written language appeared in Mesopotamia around 3 500 (cuneiform). The Greek and Roman systems come from the Phoenician writing system, which was developed by the Sumerians. The Sumerians first invented writing as a means of long-distance communication which was necessitated by trade. Meanwhile, the first Mesoamerican civilization to develop a writing system was the Mayan.

Wheel

3500 BCE

The first wheel was from Mesopotamia in 3500 BC. During a period known as Bronze Age, people needed transportation to be easier. It is believed that potters were the first ones to use the Wheel. The first wheeled carts where found in Poland and elsewhere in Europe.

Ink

2500 BCE

Ancient cultures made primitive forms of ink for paintings in caves. It was actually around 2500 BC that Egyptians and Chinese developed ink with carbon particles. Soon, the India ink appeared, but it was made of bone and tar pits. In the 6th century the quill pen was invented, followed by the reservoir pen. Printer pen was invented until the 15th century.

Democracy

507 BCE

In 507 BC, a new political system was introduced in Greece, and it consisted in people ruling themselves. Though, democracy was limited: Only men could vote, and women, slaves, foreign citizens, and children were forbidden to vote because they weren´t considered citizens. Now, most countries in the word are ruled by democracy, which prevents dictators to rule and families to take over the power.

Paper

105 BCE

It was invented in around 105 AD by a man named Ts’ai Lun. He broke the bark of a tree into fibres and pounded them into a sheet, and it was improved by the addition of old fish nets and rags hemp. Soon it was used and spread to the whole world. Paper production began in Corea in the 6th century.

Medical Evolution

Sep 13, 1400

Even though some ancient civilizations took a step forward in medicine, religion was still very influential in it. In the 14th century, medical knowledge was available by the creation of medicine schools. Bodies from dead people were brought to them, so people knew things about the human body. Even though medicine wasn´t based on magic or in divine interventions, the Roman Catholic Church decided the course the medical world would take and it was highly dominated by superstitions.

Printing Systems

Sep 11, 1500

During the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg casted movable blocks of letters and symbols out of various metals and his own ink for making the printing in paper faster. Adapting the screw mechanisms found in wine presses, papermakers' presses and linen presses, Gutenberg developed a press perfectly suited for printing. Thanks to this invention, books could be produced in series, allowing text books entrance into the education system.

Telescopes

Sep 13, 1600

Hans Lipperhey, a German spectacle maker, is generally credited as the inventor of the telescope, as his patent application is dated the earliest, , even though Galileo Galilei is pointed as the telescope´s inventors. Galileo heard news of the telescope, and constructed his own version of it without ever seeing one. Instead of the initial 3 power magnification, he crafted a series of lenses that in combination allowed him to magnify things.The telscope has helped us to know more about astronomy.

Newspaper

Sep 13, 1622

Some of the oldest newspapers dates from Ancient Rome, where the important announcements were carved in stone and placed where people could see them. The biggest change that the newspaper has ever suffered is its massive printing, which made them affordable and easier to get, giving people all kinds of information each day. However, with the rising of technology, their price began to rise and their public to fall. They may seem old-fashioned, they were one of the first information sources ever.

Electricity

Sep 13, 1700

. By 1700´s, scientists already worked with static electricity, but it was Franklin who took a big step forward. He came up with the idea that electricity had positive and negative elements and that it flowed between these two elements. His famous kite experiment was conducted in 1752 in order to prove that lightning was electricity. He tied a metal key to a kite for conducting electricity, and when lightning hit the kite, he received a shock.

Vaccines

Sep 13, 1700

A Greek historian that people who survived smallpox didn´t get reinfected by it. Later, the Chinese developed a primitive vaccination system, in which healthy people were exposed to the scab’s tissue caused by the disease. The first vaccine was invented by Edward Jenner . Nevertheless, some people were against vaccination because they saw impossible that something like that could even work. By the 1920’s, vaccines were available, lowering the world’s death span.

Airplanes

Sep 13, 1900

The first airplane was invented in the 1900’s by the brothers Wright. In their attempts of making the airplane, they made several experiments such as the hot air balloon, kites and air glides. They were really confident about their invention. The first flight the machine made was of about 12 seconds, and after they made two longer flights that same day, the sent a telegram to their father telling him that he had to call the press because man was capable of flying for the first time ever.

Televison

Sep 13, 1940

Television has become one of the greatest ways of spreading information, and it gives entrainment to people of all ages. The first mechanical module of television was invented in the 1800´s by a German student. RCA, the company that dominated the radio business in the United States with its two NBC networks, invested $50 million in the development of electronic television,later that year RCA paid for a license to use television patents. RCA began selling television sets .

Cell phones

Sep 13, 1947

In 1900 Reginald Fessenden made the fist wireless telephone call. Around 1947, the first telephone network was founded. .The first practical cell phone was called Motorola DynaTac, and it was invented around the 1970´s. Nevertheless, this device was still big to be called practical (it weighed around 1.1 kg). By the 1990´s, telephones were way more practical, even though they only could make calls. The first IPhone was launched into the market in June of 2007.

Computers

Sep 13, 1951

The first generation of computers appeared in 1951.The second generation of computers appeared in 1958 with the transistors, the third generation started in 1965 with the integral circuits, which was followed by the fourth generation with the microchips. The final generation (the fifth) made its appearance in 1985. As time passed, the quantity of things that these machines could do grew, and it will keep on growing. Also, they are now used as a part of education in most countries of the world.