Ancient China

 The seismograph. Where come from? was it invented by Mr. White Richman, Victorian rich guy, philanthropist, and inventor? No, in fact the seismograph can trace its lineage all the way back to the the seismoscopes of old, built by Zhang Heng around the year 100 ce in the han dynasty. I'm here with Zhang Heng, inventor and Smart-man, in the year 100 ce. "Mr. Heng, how does your machine work?" " Well, if you must know, there are 8 dragon heads with balls in their mouths, and when there are tremors the balls fall out and into the frogs mouths, making a very loud sound.". "But you probably want to, what does this have to do with anything? well, the loud noise made by the frogs alerts people to tremors.". Well that is interesting. but also important. all I need to do is hear the frogs and I will know if there is an earthquake "But that's not all" Said Zhang Heng, "lets go hunting for earthquakes, to study them!". "I don't kn

I have always been fascinated with military history. and have always wondered what it was like all the way back then, back in Han dynasty China, back in 200 BCE. Perhaps, with a little tinkering my magic toaster can launch me all the way back in time to see what the invention of the crossbow was like, but first, maybe I should learn about the crossbow, less I go to the wrong time. The crossbow first originated in Europe and China around the 5th-7th century BCE, around the time of the warring states and Han dynasty. This is around the time where army's of half crossbowmen were common. A cheap, light, effective and deadly weapon, it made sense to outfit large armies with mostly crossbows. The fact that it was made from either metal, or the far more common wood. this ensured it was cheap, and mass producible. And now that I have some background info, its time to toast, to the year 200 BCE Right now I'm in the year 700 BCE with a mister Ch'in, inventor and foremost expert on th

The year 200 CE, a year of modernity, writing and culture. A time where knowledge began to flourish. all thanks, to Ts'ai (Cai) Lun. as I need some paper to write down my adventures, I think it might be best to steal it straight from the source. Let's see If i can find MR. Lun. As I sneak up to his workshop, I can hear him start to talk to himself.  " Let's see, The emperor needs a way to modernise his empire. a way to streamline and to buckle down and work. but how? The workers are working as fast as they can, and the administrators are barely keeping up!" As he began to pace around his workshop, I started looking around for some paper. I found a few bits of ripped linen, and used hemp mush, but alas, I couldn't find any paper.  "we cant afford to get any more administrators, and that still wouldn't help the problem. they just cant work fast enough using their tree bark and tablets.". as I walk by a table, I realized I have just picked up a whol

Dating as far back as 1030 bce, the rudder has always been trusted to take you to where you need to go. It tends to steer you right, and left. but where I want to focus on is the focal point. The year 1, when  rudders have been put onto ocean going ships. today, we are in one of the many port cities of the Han dynasty. Before the rudder, boats were far more difficult to steer. Obstacles such as wind could simply push you off course. With the advent of rudders on ships, it became much easier to get to where you need to go, without leagues of men needed to change direction using paddles, ores, or hauling the sails. this allowed for tighter turns, and better counteracting of wind, preventing you from getting lost. but how do the crew like it. today, the toaster machine has taken us back in time, back to beginning of time. back to the year, 1. in the year 1, properly mounted rear rudders, instead of simple oars were becoming common. to find out how this aided in steering, I asked the helms