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Material below is mainly adopted from ''Science & Technology: People, Dates & Events''. Philips, 2000, pp. 2-21. {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left;" |- ! width="50px" class="unsortable" | &nbsp; ! width="160px" class="unsortable" | Communications ! width="160px" class="unsortable" | Transport ! width="160px" class="unsortable" | Engineering ! width="160px" class="unsortable" | Agriculture |-valign="top" | 10,000 BC || &nbsp; || &nbsp; || '''pre 8000 BC''' Paleolithic period (Old Stone Age) is marked by the use of stone tools. The Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age) follows, during which stone tools are made of flint.<BR /><BR />'''c. 8000 BC - c. 4000 BC''' Tools from the Neolithic period (New Stone Age) include polished stone axes and a type of flint sickle mounted in an animal's lower jawbone; flint is mined. || '''c. 8000 BC - 4000 BC''' Cereal crops are cultivated in the Neolithic period (New Stone Age).<BR /><BR />'''c. 7500 BC''' Beer is brewed in Mesopotamia. |-valign="top" | 7000 BC || &nbsp; || '''c. 7000 BC''' Dugout canoes are used in modern-day Europe; reed boats are used in what is today Egypt. ||&nbsp; ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 5000 BC || &nbsp; || &nbsp; ||'''c. 4500 BC''' Copper is smelted in Egypt and central Europe. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 4000 BC || '''c. 3300 BC''' Hieroglyphic writing is used in Egypt; pictographic writing is used in Sumeria.<BR /><BR />'''3200 BC''' Ink (made from lamp-black and egg-white) is used to write hieroglyphic on papyrus in Egypt. || '''c. 3500 BC''' Single-masted, square-sail ships traverse on River Nile.<BR /><BR />'''c. 3500 BC''' Solid wheels are used in Mesopotamia. ||'''c. 3500 BC''' Solder is used to join copper and the potter's wheel is invented in Mesopotamia; wheeled vehicles are used in Sumeria. ||'''c. 4000 BC''' Primitive ox-drawn plough is used in China and later (c. 3500 BC) in Sumeria.<BR /><BR />'''c. 3500 BC''' Wine is made in the Middle East. |-valign="top" | 3000 BC || '''c. 3000 BC''' Abacus is invented independently by the Babylonians and the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''c. 2500 BC''' Positional number system is invented in Mesopotamia. || '''c. 2500 BC''' Skis are used in Scandinavia. ||'''c. 3000 BC''' Glass is made in Egypt and Mesopotamia, probably for jewelry and small containers; bronze and copper axes are made in Mesopotamia.<BR /><BR />'''c. 2700 BC''' Construction of Stonehenge begins (using mainly timber).<BR /><BR />'''c. 2600''' First step pyramid is built in Egypt, followed later (c. 2500 BC) by the Great Pyramid at Khufu. ||'''c. 3000 BC''' Barley is grown as a main crop in Sumeria.<BR /><BR />'''c. 2500 BC''' Bees are kept for honey in Egypt. |-valign="top" | 2000 BC || '''c. 1350 BC''' Decimal numbers are used in China; 22-letter alphabet is used by the Phoenicians.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1300''' Musical notation is introduced in what is today Syria. || '''c. 2000 BC''' Spoked wheels are used in Mesopotamia and, later (1600 BC), in Egypt.<BR /><BR />'''c. 2000 BC''' Paved roads are constructed on Kriti (Crete).<BR /><BR />'''c. 1450 BC''' Barges 60 meters long are built in Egypt for carrying stone obelisks.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1400 BC''' Sea-going vessels are built in western Europe.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1200 BC''' Wooden-hulled boats with a keel are built by the Phoenicians. ||'''c. 2400 BC''' Bitumen is used for waterproofing in Mesopotamia.<BR /><BR />'''c. 2000 BC''' Looms are used for weaving in Assyria.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1900 BC''' Arches are used in building construction in Palestine.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1450 BC''' Stonehenge is completed in its final form.<BR /><BR />'''1370 BC''' Iron tools and weapons are made by the Hittites; they hammered implements out of the heated ore because they lacked heat enough to melt the metal. ||'''c. 1600 BC''' Wooden ploughshare is invented in Mesopotamia; grape vines and olives are cultivated in Kriti (Crete).<BR /><BR />'''c. 1500 BC''' Seed drill (a vertical tube with a funnel at the top) is invented in Sumeria.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1100 BC''' Iron ploughshare is invented in the Middle East. |-valign="top" | 1000 BC || '''875 BC''' Symbol for zero (0) is invented in what is today India.<BR /><BR />'''c. 580 BC''' [[Anaximandros]] (Anaximander) (c. 611 - 547 BC) is said to have made a map of the earth, which he conceived of as a self-supporting, immobile, cylindrical object at the center of the universe.<BR /><BR />'''c. 510 BC''' Map showing countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is drawn by Ekataios of Miletos (Hecataeus of Miletus) (c. 550 - 476 BC). || '''c. 775 BC''' Two-decked ships are thought to have been built in Tyre (today in Lebanon).<BR /><BR />'''592 BC''' Anchor is described by [[Anacharsis Skythai]] (Anacharsis the Scythian).<BR /><BR />'''512 BC''' Pontoon bridge is built across the Bosporus by the army of Persian King Darius I; a second pontoon bridge is built there later (480 BC) for the (unsuccessful) army of Persian King Xerxes.||'''800 BC''' Pyramids are built in what is today Mexico by the Olmecs.<BR /><BR />'''700 BC''' Pulleys are used in Assyria.<BR /><BR />'''650 BC''' Aqueducts are built in Assyria.<BR /><BR />'''600 BC''' Iron is widely used in Egypt.<BR /><BR />'''550 BC''' Locks and keys are used in Egypt. ||'''c. 850 BC''' Horses, which have been used to draw vehicles since c. 1800 BC, are now also used for riding in Asia.<BR /><BR />'''c. 600 BC''' Windmills are thought to have been used in Persia to grind corn. |-valign="top" | 500 BC || '''c. 430 BC''' Optical telegraph using burning torches to indicate coded letters is used in what is today Greece. || &nbsp; ||'''500 BC''' Dams are constructed in India. ||'''500 BC''' Wheat becomes an important crop in Brittania; salt (useful both for preserving and as a medicine) and wool are traded there. |-valign="top" | 400 BC || '''400 BC''' Romans begin to use coins.|| '''312 BC''' Via Appia (Appian Way), a road from Rome to Capua, is begun under the instructions of Emperor Appius Claudius. One of the earliest Roman roads, it is later extended to Brindisi; its total length is more than 560 kilometers (350 mi). ||'''400 BC''' Military catapult is invented by [[Dionysios I of Syrakoúsai]] (Dionysius the Elder) (ca. 432 – 367 BC).<BR /><BR />'''c. 360 BC''' Suspended device propelled by steam issuing from a jet is invented by [[Archytas of Taras]] (Archytas of Tarentum) (c. 420 - c. 350 BC).<BR /><BR />'''c. 350 BC''' Iron smelting is developed in central Africa. ||'''350 BC''' Cultivation is well established in western Africa. |-valign="top" | 300 BC || '''c. 280 BC''' Mathematician [[Eukleides]] (Euclid of Alexandria) (fl. 300 BC) is known for ''Elements'', his influential text books on geometry for almost two-thousand years.<BR /><BR />'''c. 240 BC''' [[Eratosthenes of Kyrēnē]] (c. 276 - 194 BC) invents a systematic method, known as Eratosthenes' Sieve, of identifying prime numbers; it is too slow to decide whether or not a very large number is prime. || '''c. 250 BC''' Collar and harness for horses is invented by the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''264 - 146 BC''' Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage lead to expansion in ship-building industries. ||'''c. 300 BC''' Cast iron is invented in China.<BR /><BR />'''c. 280 BC''' Pharos, an 85-meter lighthouse and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is built on an island off Alexandria by [[Sostratos of Knidos]] (Sostratus of Cnidus).<BR /><BR />'''c. 260 BC''' Simple pump using a rotating screw in an inclined cylinder (Archimedes' screw) is invented, traditionally by [[Arkhimedes of Syrakoúsai]] (Archimedes of Syracuse) (c. 287 - 212 BC), who also investigates the functioning of levers and pulleys. ||'''290 BC''' Chest harness for horses is invented in China.<BR /><BR />'''c. 220 BC''' The invention of gears enables ox-driven water wheels to be used for irrigation. |-valign="top" | 200 BC || '''c. 200 BC''' [[Krates of Mallos]] (Crates of Mallus) is thought to have constructed the first globe.<BR /><BR />'''165 BC''' Parchment (vellum) is invented at the court of King Eumenes II of Pergamon (197 - 159 BC). || '''200 BC''' Three-masted ships are built in what is today Greece. ||'''c. 160 BC''' Astrolabe is invented possibly by [[Hipparkhos of Νikaia]] (Hipparchus of Nicaea) (c. 190 - 127 BC); it is later (c. AD 850) reinvented by the Arabs.<BR /><BR />'''c. 120 BC''' Force pump is invented by [[Ktesibios of Alexandria]]. ||'''200 BC''' The screw of [[Arkhimedes of Syrakoúsai]] is used to pump water for irrigation. |-valign="top" | 100 BC || '''100 BC''' Negative numbers are introduced by the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''c. 100 BC''' Musical notation has been devised in China, according to chronicler Symaa Chian (163 - 85 BC), who tells of a music master writing down a zither tune; an Imperial Office of Music is founded in China.<BR /><BR />'''70 BC''' Tironian system of shorthand is devised by Marcus Tullius Tiro.<BR /><BR />'''45 BC''' Julian Calendar is introduced under Caius Iulius Caesar (100 - 44 BC); designed by the astronomer [[Sogigenes of Alexandria]], it took a base year of 365.25 days and was inaccurate by a mere 11 minutes a year; it was not supplanted until the 16th century AD.|| '''100 BC''' A cart with steerable front wheels is invented in western Europe. ||'''100 BC''' Piston bellows for use in metal working are invented in China.<BR /><BR />'''c. 100 BC''' Bridge are constructed of masonry in Rome.<BR /><BR />'''c. 100 BC''' Cart wheels with roller bearings are used in western Europe.<BR /><BR />'''100 BC''' Apartment houses in Rome are built up to 15 meters high.<BR /><BR />'''60 BC''' Lucretius (c. 95 - 55 BC) describes magnets in his poem ''De Rerum Natura'' ("On the Nature of Things"); it is thought that magnets had already been known to the Chinese. ||'''100 BC''' Oysters are raised (for food) in heated seawater tanks by the Romans near Naplestea; water wheels are used to drive mills for grinding grain in what is today Albania.<BR /><BR />'''c. 50 BC''' Landscape gardening is practiced in Rome. |-valign="top" | AD 1 || '''c. AD 1''' Romans use voice pipes to aid communication in large palaces. || '''AD 1''' Tandem harness for horses (instead of using two horses side by side) is invented in China. || '''c. AD 50''' Simple steam turbine, called an aeolipile, is invented by [[Heron of Alexandria]] (Hero) (b. c. 20).<BR /><BR />'''50''' Lead mining in Mendip, Brittania, is controlled by the Romans; in the city of Rome, millions of cubic meters of water pass each day through the lead piping of the water system.<BR /><BR />'''c. 105''' Paper is made from bark and rags by [[Tsai Lun]] (Cai Lun) (c. 50 - 118).<BR /><BR />'''118''' Pantheon is built in Rome with a 43-meter concrete dome, under orders of Emperor Hadrian.<BR /><BR />'''122 - 136''' Hadrian's Wall is constructed in England under the orders of the Roman emperor Hadrian; it extends for 118 kilometers (73 mi).<BR /><BR />'''c. 130''' Seismograph is invented in China [[Zhang Heng]] (78 - 139) to detect earthquakes.||'''c. AD 50''' [[Pedanios Dioskoridos]] describes in ''De Materia Medica'' (Latin) over 500 plants that can be used medicinally.<BR /><BR />'''50''' Chain pumps are used for lifting water for irrigation in China.<BR /><BR />'''90''' Fan-like winnowing machine in invented in China.<BR /><BR />'''110''' Hand-operated, multi-tube seed drill is invented in China. |-valign="top" | 200 || '''200s''' Ascending lanterns (Kongming lanterns) are used as signalling devices by [[Zhuge Liang]] (181 - 234).<BR /><BR /> '''c. 350''' The Maya, in Central America, develop a calendar in order to calculate the year more accurately; it is more reliable than early Christian calendars. || '''200''' Ships with several masts and a rudder are constructed in China.<BR /><BR />'''240''' Wheelbarrow is used in China. ||'''c. 350''' Methane (natural gas) is used for lighting in China. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 400 || '''525''' Anno Domini (AD) method of expressing dates, counting from the birth of Jesus Christ, is invented by Dionysius Exiguus (c. 500 - c. 556). || '''475''' Stirrups for riding a horse are invented in China; they are first seen in southern Europe c. 500.<BR /><BR />'''550''' Wind-powered land vehicles are used in China. ||'''580''' Suspension bridge with iron chains is built in China.||'''530''' Water-powered machine for shaking and sifting flour is invented in China. |-valign="top" | 600 || '''c. 650''' Printing from engraved wooden blocks is invented in China.<BR /><BR />'''767''' Printed text (a million prayers) is produced in Yamato (modern-day Japan) by Empress Shokutu. || &nbsp; ||'''600s''' Cast iron is used for large ceremonial structure (such as a 90-meter tall column).<BR /><BR />'''673''' "Greek fire", likely a mixture of naphtha, quicklime and saltpeter or sulphur, is invented by [[Kallinikos of Heliopolis]] (Callinicus), a Syrian (b. c. 620).<BR /><BR />'''790''' Paper is made in Iraq and, later (900), Egypt. ||'''600''' Windmills are used to grind grain in Persia.<BR /><BR />'''630''' Cotton, imported from the east, is grown in Arabia and later (775) in al-Andalus (Islamic Spain).<BR /><BR />'''700''' Tea is grown in China. |-valign="top" | 800 || '''c. 820''' [[Al-Khwarizmi]] is thought to have been the first to solve the quadratic equation ax² + bx + c = 0; he also originates the term algebra from ''al-jabr''.<BR /><BR />'''868''' Printed book (a Buddhist scripture) is produced by [[Wang Chieh]].<BR /><BR />'''c. 950''' Abacus is introduced into Europe for mathematical calculations by Gerbert (c. 940 - 1003), later Pope Sylvester II. || '''850''' Astrolabe is re-invented by the Arabs, who use it for navigation.<BR /><BR />'''852''' First reported attempt at human flight is made by [[Abbas Ibn Firnas]] in Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain).<BR /><BR />'''994''' The canal lock is invented by [[Chiao Wei-yo]] ||'''c. 840''' dishes are used in China.<BR /><BR />'''c. 850''' Windmills are in use in Europe.<BR /><BR />'''980''' Chain drive is invented by [[Zhang Sixun]] (Chang Ssu-Hsun) ||'''800''' Open fields, using the three-crop rotation, are used in Europe.<BR /><BR />'''900''' Wheeled ploughs are used in Europe. |-valign="top" | 1000 || '''c. 1000''' Camera obscura is invented in Arabia, described [[Ibn Al-Haytham]] (Alhazen) (c. 965 - 1040); the notion goes back earlier to [[Mozi]] (Mo-Ti or Micius) (470 BC - 390 BC), [[Aristotle|Aristotélēs]] (Aristotle) (384 BC - 322 BC), and [[Eukleides]] (Euclid of Alexandria) (c. 300 BC).<BR /><BR />'''c. 1040''' Modern system of musical notation, using a strave, is invented by Guido d'Arezzo (c. 990 - 1050).<BR /><BR />'''c. 1040''' Movable type for printing, made of ceramic, is invented by [[Bi Sheng]] || '''1066''' Buoys are used to mark river channels in Europe. ||'''1035''' Spinning wheels are used in China.<BR /><BR />'''1044''' Formula for making gunpowder is published in a Chinese military text.<BR /><BR />'''1050''' Crossbow is in use in France.<BR /><BR />'''1088''' Water-powered mechanical clock is constructed by [[Su Song]] (1020 - 1101). ||'''1000''' Coffee is used, initially as a medicine, in Arabia. |-valign="top" | 1100 || '''1100''' Colour printing is invented by the Chinese for printing money.<BR /><BR />'''1136''' Arabic numerals are used by [[Gerardo da Cremona]] (Gerardus Cremonensis) (c. 1114-1187) in translations of Greek astronomy texts. || '''c. 1100''' Magnetic compass (pioneered by [[Shen Kuo]]) is in use by the Sung Chinese for maritime navigation. (Its use in orienting by the military goes back to 1040-1044)<BR /><BR />'''1190''' Sternpost rudder is used on European vessels. ||'''1189''' Paper bill is built in France. ||'''1100s''' Hunting for whales is begun in the Atlantic by Spanish fishermen.<BR /><BR />'''1100''' Wine is distilled to make brandy on the Italian peninsula.<BR /><BR />'''1126''' Artesian well is sunk at Lilliers in Artois (Roman province Artesium). |-valign="top" |1200 || '''1200''' ''Liber abaci'' by Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1170 - 1240) is the earliest Western work to propose the adoption of the Arabic (originally Hindu) numeral system; the system was described earlier in a work by [[Al-Khwarizmi]].<BR /><BR />'''1232''' Kites are used for sending military messages by the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''1234''' Movable metal type used for printing is developed in Goryeo (modern-day Korea) by [[Choe Yun-ui]].<br /><br />'''1260''' Carrier pigeons are used for sending messages in Mameluke Empire (Egypt and Syria).|| '''1250s''' Wheelbarrows are used in Europe. ||'''c. 1200''' Gunpowder rockets are used by the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''1230''' Shrapnel-type bombs are used by the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1250''' Gunpowder is reputedly re-invented by alchemist [[Berthold Schwarz]]; it is referred to in 1269 in writings of English monk and philosopher [[Roger Bacon]] (1220 - 1292).<BR /><BR />'''1260''' Firearms (made from bamboo) for shooting bullets are used by the Chinese.<BR /><BR />'''1280s''' Cannons are made in China.<BR /><BR />'''1280s''' Belt-driven spinning wheels from China via India are used in Europe.<BR /><BR />'''1290s''' Rope cable suspension bridges are built by the South Americans.||'''1275''' A whisky distillery is built in Ireland. |-valign="top" |1300 || &nbsp; || '''1370''' Locks are built on Dutch canals. ||'''1300s''' Spectacles are used in Europe.<BR /><BR />'''1307''' Guillotine is used in Ireland.<BR /><BR />'''1324''' Forged iron cannons are constructed at Metz.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1330''' Mechanical astronomical clock is built by [[Richard Wallingford]] (c. 1291 - 1336).<BR /><BR />'''1340s''' Wind-driven water pumps are used to drain land in modern-day Netherlands.<BR /><BR />'''1340s''' Cannons are used in warfare; in 1347 they are employed by the English army at the siege of Calais.<BR /><BR />'''1380s''' Weight-driven mechanical clocks are in use.<BR /><BR />'''1380''' Gunpowder rockets are used in warfare in Europe. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1400 || '''1440s''' Printing press, in Europe, is invented by Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400 - 1468), known to the Chinese since c. 650.<BR /><BR />'''1450''' Large (450-meter) portable astronomical observatory is built by [[Ulugh Beg]] (1394 - 1449).<BR /><BR />'''1477''' Intaglio printing, using engraved metal plates, is introduced.<BR /><BR />'''1492''' Graphite "lead" is used for making pencils in England.<BR /><BR />'''1498''' Movable type for printing music is invented by Ottaviano dei Petrucci (1466 - 1539). || '''1400s''' Three-masted ships are built in Europe.<BR /><BR />'''1421''' Canal boat filled with cranes is patented by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 - 1446).<BR /><BR />'''1450s''' Caravel&#8212;to become the most common seagoing vessel&#8212;is developed in Portugal.<BR /><BR />'''1460''' Four-wheeled passenger coach is built in Hungary.<BR /><BR />'''1480''' Practical parachute is designed by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] (1452 - 1519).<BR /><BR />'''1492''' Flying machine (an impractical, wing-flapping ornithopter) is designed by [[Leonardo da Vinci]]. ||'''1414''' Warship equipped with cannons, the ''Holy Ghost'', is launched in England.<BR /><BR />'''1450s''' Hollow-post windmills, with sails that can be aligned to face the wind, are in use in the Netherlands.<BR /><BR />'''c. 1480''' Astrolabe is developed as a navigational aid by Martin Behaim (c. 1459 - 1507).<BR /><BR />'''1487''' Land mines are used in warfare in Italy.<BR /><BR />'''1494''' Paper mill is constructed in England.<BR /><BR />'''1495''' Explosive land mine is invented by [[Francesco di Giorgio]] (1439 - 1502), although crude mines were used earlier (1487) by Genoese troops. ||'''1400s''' Coffee is made into a beverage in Ethiopa.<BR /><BR />'''1400''' Beer is imported into England from Belgium.<BR /><BR />'''1410''' Drift nets are used by Dutch fishermen, who also use salt to preserve the catch.<BR /><BR />'''1495''' Whisky is distilled in Scotland by Friar John Cor. |-valign="top" | 1500 || &nbsp; || '''1500''' Helicopter (impractical) is designed by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] (1452 - 1519).<BR /><BR />'''1506''' Rocket-propelled chair (meant to fly) is built by [[Wan Hu]]; it explodes and kills him.<BR /><BR />'''1500s''' Tramways, with wooden tracks, come into use in German mines. ||'''1500''' Wheel lock for muzzle-loading firearms is designed by [[Leonardo da Vinci]]; it is manufactured in Italy from 1515 (replacing the matchlock).<BR /><BR />'''c. 1505''' Spring-driven watch is made by [[Peter Henlein]] (1480 - 1542); the introduction of a spring mechanism to provide the motive force enabled the invention of miniaturized clocks, which could perform in any position. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1510 || &nbsp; || &nbsp; ||'''1517''' Wheel-lock muskets are produced in Nuremberg. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1520 || &nbsp; || '''1522''' Round-the-world voyage is completed by Juan Sebastian del Cano (1476 - 1526) in the ''Vittoria'', the only survivor of the five ships that set out three years earlier under the command of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (1480 - 1521). ||'''1520''' Muzzle-loading rifles (with spirally grooved barrel) are made by August Kotter.<BR /><BR />'''1520''' ''Fusee'' for controlling the release of a clock mainspring is invented by Jakob the Czech. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1530 || &nbsp; || '''1535''' Glass diving bell is used in Italy. ||&nbsp; ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1540 || &nbsp; || '''1543''' Wheeled vehicle powered by sails (a land yacht) is constructed at a German principality. ||'''c. 1540''' Gear-cutting machine (for making clocks) is invented by instrument-maker [[Juanelo Turriano]] (1501 - 1575). ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1550 || '''1550''' Glass lens for a camera obscura is made by [[Girolamo Cardano]] (Jerome Cardan) (1501 - 1576); the camera was invented at about the same time by his fellow countryman [[Giambattista della Porta]] (1535 - 1615).<BR /><BR />'''1554''' Sealing wax is introduced by [[Gerhard Hermann]]. || &nbsp; ||'''1550''' Screwdriver is in use, at first by gunsmiths.<BR /><BR />'''1551''' Theodolite is invented by Leonard Digges (c. 1520 - 1559).<BR /><BR />'''1552''' New glass-making process is patented by "Smyth"; it is the first English patent ever issued for an invention. ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1560 || '''1569''' World map is published by [[Gerardus Mercator]] (1512 - 1594); it employs a system of projection that has since borne his name. || &nbsp; ||'''1561''' Dredger is invented by [[Pieter Breughel]] and, much later (1618), by naval officer John Gilbert. ||'''1565''' Potatoes are imported into Spain from South America.<BR /><BR />'''1566''' Seed drill in Europe is invented by Camillo Torello. |-valign="top" | 1570 || &nbsp; || '''1573''' Ship's log, for measuring speed through the water, is invented by Humphrey Cole (d. 1580). ||'''1570''' Timber truss girder bridge is built by [[Andrea Paddadio]] (1508 - 1580). ||'''1575''' Commercial production of gin is introduced by Lucas Bols. |-valign="top" | 1580 || '''1588''' Type of modern shorthand, using hard-to-learn arbitrary characters, is invented by physician turned priest Timothy Bright (c. 1551 - 1615). || '''1580''' Round-the-world voyage is completed by Francis Drake (1540 - 1596) in his ship the ''Golden Hind'' (ex ''Pelican''), the only survivor of five ships that set out in 1577.<BR /><BR />'''1589''' Kites are described in detail by [[Giambattista della Porta]], though known to the Chinese since 700 BC. ||'''1585''' Floating mines, detonated by a clockwork mechanism, are used by the Dutch navy against the Belgians.<BR /><BR />'''1589''' Knitting machine for making stockings (called a stocking frame) is invented by William Lee (d. 1610).<BR /><BR />'''1589''' Flush toilet is designed by John Harington (1561 - 1612). ||&nbsp; |-valign="top" | 1590 || &nbsp; || '''1596''' Iron-spiked warship is built in Joseon (modern-day Korea). ||'''c. 1590''' Compound microscope is reputedly invented by [[Hans Janssen]] and his son [[Zacharias Janssen|Zacharias]].<BR /><BR />'''1592''' Air-filled thermometer is invented by [[Galileo Galilei]] (1564 - 1642).<BR /><BR />'''1598''' Self-winding and regulating clock is invented by [[Cornelis Jacobszoon Drebbel]] (1572 - 1633). ||&nbsp; |} ==See also== *[[Science Chronology: 14,000 BC - AD 1600]] *[[Women in Science and Technology: 1900 BC - AD 1600]] ==Notes== *[[Bibliography|Philips]], 2000, pp. 2-21. [[Category:Chronologies]]

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