BloggerOn
With the internet, mobile devices, and all the other gadgets people use today, did you ever stop and think about how technology all started? Today, we see people’s reliance on technology. We get our news on the television or the internet.
We move from one place to another with our cars. We depend on technology to cure some of the most challenging health issues around. However, these are all part of the deep history of technology.
If you’re looking to trace the roots of technology, we invite you to continue reading below. Let us try and piece together technology history through its milestones.
The History of Technology: It Started With the Basic Tools
Who invented technology? If we are going to look back at the history of technology, the best place to start is the creation of basic tools. In the same line, we also need to touch on the reason why the earliest civilizations had to make them.
As they tried solving various problems, people looked at their surroundings. They started building tools to provide solutions.
For example, some 2.5 million years ago, people already hunted animals for food. However, they didn’t have the power to butcher animals effectively. Hence, the Paleolithic period ushered the use of stones as butchering tools.
They created the Oldowan tools during the earlier Paleolithic period. Using stones, the people invented scrapers for butchering dead animals.
About 1.6 million years ago came the Acheulean stone technology. This is where the Homo erectus and the Neolithic man used the hand ax. They used the tool to butcher large animals that they killed with their wooden spears.
After about 100,000 years, the Homo erectus learned to create and manipulate fire. Experts note that the first people who used fire likely lived in the savannah.
This area is drier compared to other places. Hence, it’s the perfect environment to make a fire.
Fast-forward to 25,000 B.C., the first types of ceramic products came about. Domestication of animals followed in 15,000 B.C. By 6,000 BCE, the Middle East first used bricks for construction.
Innovations That Shaped the World
With so many innovations that fill up man’s history, many stand out from the rest. Many of them came about during the Renaissance period. For starters, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the transfer of knowledge in 1440.
Though there were presses already in existence, Gutenberg’s creation improved the technology massively. His machine allowed the production of over 3,600 pages a day. By the start of the 1600s, the Gutenberg presses printed over 200 million books.
Another notable technological creation is the compass. It played a crucial role in the early navigation of men dating back to the 14th century. It was one of the leading tools that ushered the Age of Discovery.
In turn, it helped Europe gain the tools and resources to forge the Industrial Revolution.
Speaking of the Industrial Revolution, another key technological innovation played a significant role: steel. Though the use of steel tools dates back up to 4,000 years ago, it was only after the invention of the Bessemer Process in the 1850s that people were able to mass-produce alloy.
From there, steel became the hottest commodity in Europe. People started building engines, railroads, and bridges using the material.
Another important creation worth mentioning is the light bulb. From its pioneering days in the early 19th century, the light bulb took a big leap in 1880. It was when Thomas Alva Edison and Joseph Wilson Swan patented the long-lasting bulbs.
Enter the Computer
A discussion on facts about technology and its history will not be complete without mentioning computers. Who invented the computer? What is the original purpose of its creation?
The history of the computer dates back to the 1800s. It was a time when the United States was struggling to crunch numbers for the Census. With the population growing, the country had to find a way to make computing the numbers faster.
As for the question of who invented the computer, credit goes to Charles Babbage. He was an English mechanical engineer who conceived the idea of a calculating machine that runs on steam. The machine’s main function was to compute tables of numbers.
Though his project failed, it laid the foundations for the building of the first computer a century after. In 1890, Herman Hollerith designed a punch card system that would help calculate the census of 1880. His design proved to be a success, as it saved the government around $5 million in resources.
Thereafter, he would establish his own company. His business would eventually become today’s IBM. A lot of innovators and visionaries followed suit over the next century.
In 1971, IBM engineers developed the floppy disk. In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak established Apple Computers.
Today, almost all of man’s work, dealings, and transactions involve computers. There are around 4.72 billion internet users around the world. These people use computers and mobile devices to go online.
The Road That Lies Ahead
With access to information right at people’s fingertips, we can expect more technological breakthroughs to surprise us in the coming years. Today, technology allowed the creation of almost everything that improves people’s lives.
Precision lenses and other optical components are now readily available. These products help people see better.
Over the next decade or so, the medical industry will likely use smart sutures that can detect infections in the wounds.
More smart gadgets will help people cope with the different challenges of daily life. Robotics will also play a huge role in reshaping the manufacturing industry. The same thing goes for artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality.
These are only a few things that lie ahead in the dynamic world of science and technology.
Never Stop Learning
With the history of technology evolving, we must learn to appreciate its many gifts. We should learn to maximize technology and use it to build a better, safer, and more productive world. To do this, you need to stay abreast of the latest in science and technology. We invite you to read our other articles. Enrich your knowledge by learning about innovations that are changing the world today.
