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1503
Mariner's Astrolabe
While there were previous incarnations of the astrolabe, the mariner's astrolabe, which determined one's latitude by the height of the sun from the horizon was one of the first to be employed by Portuguese mariners. -
1569
Mercator Projection
Maps were highly inaccurate when crossing the ocean due to large distortions in how land was portrayed according to longitude and latitude. The Mercator Projection was the first cartography system to address this by projecting the map onto a cylinder and then unraveling it from there. -
1580
Volta do mar
The Volta do mar, a navigation trick used first in the 16th century was based off of an understanding of winds and the North Atlantic Gyre in order to return to Portugal. -
Cartography and War
The use of maps has existed throughout history, but some of the most important maps from the 16th century were created by a Portuguese cartographer named Manuel Godinho de Eredia. These maps were used to display the structure of landscapes that were important in military conquests. -
The Fluyt
Ships have been used for commerce and warfare, but one of the most interesting developments of shipbuilding design was the Dutch Fluyt, which utilized a unique wide berth to allow for more cargo to be shipped, and were equipped with newer rigging systems allowing smaller crews to be used. -
The Sextant
Navigation on the open ocean is difficult due to a lack of landmarks. However, one tool made this task a bit simpler: the sextant. These instruments allowed a mariner to determine at which longitude he was. -
Steam Engine
Manpower can only go so far in powering ships and industry, and wind is highly unreliable in navigation. However, the invention of the steam engine and its refinement by James Watt were of vital importance to the industrial revolution. -
Cotton Gin
Agriculture was the backbone of the American south. As such, much of its economy relied on cotton production, which was a laborious process due to the separation of seed from fiber. Eli Whitney cleared this hurdle in 1793 with the invention of his cotton gin. -
Otto Cycle Internal Combustion Engine
What the steam engine lacked in portability, the internal combustion engine made up for. It was an important advance in mobile power, though its inventor, Nikolaus Otto, did not have much interest in his design being used for mobile purposes. -
Grain Elevator
Food production requires food storage in order to be efficient. Grain storage was a large problem before the late 19th century as grain would rot if not in the proper environment. The invention of the grain elevator helped to alleviate this problem for farmers. -
Gas Turbine
Transportation is important to trade as it is the primary method of moving goods. Though his design was not utilized immediately for this purpose, Elling's Gas Turbine would later be used to create engines that would be refined into jet engines. -
The Wright Brother's Plane
Aviation was a significant step forward in the role of trade, especially in an increasingly interconnected society. As such, the first prototype of a plane that actually took flight was a huge milestone in its development. -
Transistor
Computers today would not exist were it not for transistors; semiconductors capable of being either on or off depending upon charge applied to them. Though hundreds of millions of transistors now exist in a single processor, the first was a large design by Bell labs in 1947. -
IBM 610 - The first personal computer
When they first appeared, computers were often the size of large rooms; the ENIAC comes to mind when thinking of these. However, the first truly personal computer was the IBM 610 developed in 1957. Though still prohibitively expensive and bulky, these computers were the size of an upright piano and could fit in a room easily. -
The World Wide Web
The world wouldn't be what it is today without the world wide web. Whether it's ecommerce or simply talking to a friend, the internet is a vital part of our global society and drives much of trade.
