Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools



Inventions of the RenaissanceDirections: Number inventions 1-12, One being the MOST important, 12 being the least important._______ The SubmarineThe first submarine was originally designed by Leonardo da Vinci, as we can see in his notebook drawings, but due to his reluctance to build a machine that could make war more terrifying. It was never built. It wasn’t until 1620 that a Dutch physician named Cornelius Van Drebel, actually built a workable submarine for James I of England. Not only had Van Drebel created workable submarine for James I, but he also took him for a ride in it! James I subsequently requested two more to be built. _______ Eye Glasses & SpectaclesEyeglasses effectively doubled the active life of everyone who reads or does fine work. While there is much debate on the origins of eyeglasses, some dating as far back as the 11th century, it wasn’t until 1604 that Johannes Kepler accurately explained why and how concave and convex lenses corrected near-sightedness (inability to see far) and far-sightedness (inability to see close)_______ ClocksThe first portable clocks were developed in 1410 by Filippo Brunellleschi (a famous architect) and later refined by Peter Henlein in 1505. Before this time, mechanical clocks were large, fixed devices. The spring-driven clock made it possible to carry the time around with you. However, Galileo even more so refined this process through his observation of the constant period of the pendulum swing, which paved the way for the invention of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens.______ The Printing PressThe earliest printed book that has survived came from China in 868. However, the movable letter type invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 transformed the reproduction of books and was a great improvement over hand copying. Before the development of this time saving and economical machine, monks had to hand copy everything. This time consuming and tedious process made books and scripts extremely hard to come by, and astronomically expensive. Gutenberg’s first mass-produced book was the Bible, which he published in 1456 in Mainz, Germany._____ The Flush ToiletWhile at first the flush toilet might seem unimportant in comparison to other inventions of the Renaissance, this device has become commonplace and is used by all (hopefully) in the modern world. Sir John Harrington, a British nobleman and godson to Queen Elizabeth I, invented a valve in 1596 that when pulled, would release water from a water closet. He even wrote a book, A New Discourse upon a Stale Subject: The Metamorphosis of Ajax, that explained in great detail his invention, but it was not welcomed by many – including the Queen!_____ The MicroscopeThe microscope was invented in 1590 by Zacharias Jansen, a spectacle-maker. It was comprised of a concave and a convex lens, however, Jansen made no significant observations with it. While Galileo improved Jansen’s invention, as well as the telescope, it was Anthony van Leeuwenhoek who successfully made practical use of this invention._____ The TelescopeLike the microscope, the telescope was invented in Holland and bent light to view a desired image. Using the idea of the microscope to guide him, Hans Lippershey decided to invent the telescope in 1608 from an observation combining two lenses made distant objects larger. By using convex and concave lenses he was able to magnify stars and planets. However, he was largely unsuccessful with his invention, and one year later, Galileo improved upon Lippershey’s design significantly, giving rise to the astronomical telescope._____ The Adding MachineThe French scientist, Blaise Pascal has been credited with inventing the very first digital calculator. In 1642, the 18-year-old Pascal, the son of a French tax collector, invented his numerical wheel calculator called the Pascaline, to help his father count taxes.____ The MusketThe musket was the first usable rifle that soldiers could carry into battle. It was developed in Spain in the 1500’s. It could fire a metal ball that could seriously kill or hurt someone. The first muskets were very large weighing 40 pounds and being over 6 feet long. They were very hard to use.____ The ThermometerThe Thermometer was invented by Galileo in 1593 which, for the first time, allowed temperature variations to be measured. In 1714, Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the first mercury thermometer, the modern thermometer. Thermometers measure temperature, by using materials that change in some way when they are heated or cooled.____ The MatchFire - our worst enemy, our best friend - was difficult to create until Robert Boyle invented the match in 1680. Although fire could be made by rubbing sticks together or by striking flint to steel, this was a time consuming process. Boyle discovered that when phosphorus and sulfur were rubbed together, they would burst into flame. Although convenient, Boyle's matches were not very safe, because sometimes they accidentally went up in flames while in a pocket. (Warm surprise!) With some improvements and a little fine tuning, this invention led to your modern safety match many years later.____ GunpowderGunpowder was invented around 850 A.D. The Chinese used gunpowder in the early 1230's to launch fireworks and in weapons. Gunpowder was probably used for the first time in Europe during the Battle of Crécy in 1346. Historians do not know if this invention was carried from China to Europe or in The Europeans invented it independently. The invention of gunpowder greatly changed the way men fought. The Medival knight could not defend himself against firearms and cannons. Knights were replaced by the foot soldier who carried firearms. Between 1670 and 1729 William Congreve developed rockets to use during wars. In the seventeenth century the gun was developed by the English and Dutch armies. ................
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