Page 8 - BBC History The Story of Science & Technology - 2017 UK

Timeline

1439
When Johannes
Gutenberg
introduces his
printing press with
reusable letters,
he revolutionises
European scholar-
ship by enabling
new ideas to be
reproduced
accurately and
disseminated
quickly. Once
books had become
affordable, scientific
knowledge could
c800 spread all over
the world.
The House of Wisdom flourishes in Baghdad from the The Book of
9th to the 13th centuries. Financially supported by the Ingenious Devices,
compiled by three
caliphate, scholars translate Greek texts into Arabic
Iranian brothers in
and also carry out further research. These improved Islamic the House of
versions of Greek knowledge provided crucial foundations Wisdom, AD 850
for the European Renaissance.

800 1100
c850 1150s

Gunpowder, made by mixing Central Europe’s
three chemicals together, most significant
is the earliest known manu- natural historian during
factured explosive. Like many the 12th century is an
other technological inventions, abbess, Hildegard
it is first referred to in China of Bingen who learns
centuries before appearing from her personal
in Europe. Gunpowder is used practical experience
in mining and fireworks as as a herbalist. She is
well as in weapons. now more famous for
her music and her
visionary theology,
Diagram showing a mathematical analysis of vision but her two books
by Ibn al-Haytham, pioneer in the study of optics
on medicines
and diseases
1011–21 are important for
The Muslim scholar Ibn al-Haytham (Latinised revealing the
as Alhazen) introduces the theory that vision concealed world ALAMY/GETTY
depends on light being reflected from of female healing.
objects. He synthesises three older
approaches – Greek geometry, classical
anatomy and Aristotle’s suggestion that
objects transmit messages into the eye –
Tang dynasty but rejects Ptolemy’s idea that the
emperors used
gunpowder to put on eye emits rays of light.
fireworks displays

8 The Story of Science & Technology