Download First place

Topic: "The greatest discoveries
and inventions of mankind".
Prepared by Tarasova Victoria
The student of 10A class
Human history is closely linked with the constant progress, the development of technology, new
discoveries and inventions. Some technologies are outdated and are history, others, such as a wheel
or sail, used up to now. Countless discoveries were lost in the whirlpool of time, others are not
valued by his contemporaries, waited recognition and acceptance of hundreds of years.
Rating unique discoveries and izobretny humanity.
First place - the fire.
People soon discovered the useful properties of fire - its ability to illuminate and warm, to
improve on plant and animal foods.
"Wild Fire" that flashes during forest fires or volcanic eruptions, has been terrible for a man, but by
bringing the fire in his cave man "tamed" him and "put" their service. Since that time the fire was a
constant companion of man and the basis of its economy. In ancient times, it has been an
indispensable source of heat, light, means for cooking, hunting.
However, further gains of culture (ceramics, metallurgy, steel production, steam engines, etc.) are
required to integrated use of fire.
Many thousands of years, people used "house fire", supported him from year to year in their caves
before you learned to extract it themselves by rubbing. Probably, this discovery was accidental,
after our ancestors learned to drill wood. During this operation, the wood is heated and under
favorable conditions could cause fire. Pay attention to it, people have widely use for making fire by
friction.
The easiest way was that he took two sticks of dry wood, one of which did well. First stick laid on
the ground and pressed his knee. The second was inserted into the hole, and then began very
quickly rotate between your hands. At the same time it was necessary to press on with the power
wand. The disadvantage of this method is the fact that his hands slowly slide down. We had to
continually raise them up, and then continue the rotation. Although, at a certain skill, it can be
done quickly, yet because of the constant stopping the process has dragged on. It is much easier to
make fire by friction, by working together. While one person held the horizontal rod and pressed
down on the vertical, and the other - very quickly rotate it between your hands. Later vertical rod
steel clasp strap, which is moving to the right and to the left you can speed up the movement, and
on the upper end for the convenience of the bone were cast cap. Thus, the entire device for
making fire was composed of four parts: two sticks (fixed and rotary), the strap and the top cap. In
this way it was possible to make fire and alone when his knee pressed against the bottom stick to
the ground, and the cap - with his teeth.
And only then, with the development of mankind became available other ways to get an open fire.
Second place - the wheel and the cart.
It is believed that its prototype may have rollers that are placed under heavy tree trunks and rocks the boat
while dragging from place to place. Perhaps, but then made the first observations of the properties of
rotating bodies. For example, if the log-roller, for some reason it is thinner at the center than at the edges, it
moves under the weight more evenly and it did not swing to the side. Seeing this, people began to
intentionally burn the rollers so that the middle part becomes thinner and the side remained unchanged.
Thus came the device, which is now called the "slope." In the course of further improvements in this
direction from whole logs were only two rollers at the ends, and between them there was the axle. Later
they were made separately, and then tightly fastened together. It was opened by a wheel in the proper
sense of the word and the first wagon.
In later centuries, many generations of masters worked on improvement of this invention. Initially solid
wheels rigidly fastened to the axle and rotates with it. When driving on a level road, such carts were
completely unusable. Cornering, the wheels must rotate at different speeds, the connection creates a great
inconvenience, as heavily laden wagon can easily break or tip over. The wheels themselves were still very
imperfect. They were made from a single piece of wood. Carts were so heavy and sluggish. They move
slowly, and they usually harnessed leisurely, but the mighty bulls.
One of the oldest structures described carts found in excavations at Mohenjo-Daro. A major step forward in
the development of technology was the invention of the wheel movement to the hub, is mounted on a fixed
axis. In this case the wheels to rotate independently of each other. And the wheel is less Turley's axis, it
began to grease or tar.
For reducing wheel weight it sawed cuts, and for strengthened lateral rigidity scrapie. Nothing better in the
Stone Age to think it was impossible. But after the discovery of metal began to produce wheels with metal
rim and spokes. This wheel can rotate ten times faster or fear strikes the rocks. Harnessed to the wagon
fleet-footed horses, considerably increased the speed of its movement. To be difficult to find another
opening, which would give a powerful impetus to the development of technology.
Third place - in writing.
The first forms of writing in the form of a specially inscribed signs appeared about four thousand years BC
But even before that, there were various ways of communication and storage of information: with a certain
way of folded branches, arrows, smoke, fires and similar signals. From these primitive warning system later
appeared more sophisticated ways to fix the information. For example, the ancient Inca invented an
ingenious system of "writing" with nodules. For this purpose the laces wool of different colors. They tied a
variety of knots and fastened to a stick. As such, the "letter" is sent to the recipient. It is believed that the
Incas with this "knot letters" recorded their laws recorded chronicles and poems. "Knot letter" mentioned in
other people - it was used in ancient China and Mongolia.
Only at the end of two thousand BC ancient Phoenicians invented the alphabet letters and sounds, which
served as a model for the alphabets of many other nations. Phoenician alphabet consisted of 22 consonants,
each of which indicates a single sound. The invention of the alphabet was to mankind a great step forward.
With the new letter was easy to graphically convey any word, without the ideograms. Taught it was very
easy. The art of writing is no longer a privilege of the enlightened. It became the property of the whole
society, or at least most of it. This was one of the reasons for the rapid spread of the Phoenician alphabet
around the world. Believe, four-fifths of all known now emerged from the Phoenician alphabet.
Fourth place, after the script is paper.
Its founders were the Chinese. This is no accident. First, China in ancient times was famous book of wisdom
and a complex system of bureaucratic control, demanding that officials of constant reporting. Therefore, it
is always felt the need for affordable and compact material for writing. Before the invention of paper in
China, or wrote on bamboo tablets, or on silk.
Over time, the Chinese were the highest art in the manufacture of paper. For several centuries, they have,
as usual, well kept secrets of the paper industry. But in 751, during a confrontation with the Arabs in the
foothills of the Tien Shan, several Chinese artists were captured. Arabs learned from them draw their own
paper, and for five centuries is very profitable to sell it in Europe. Europeans were the last civilized nations,
who have learned to make the paper yourself. The first is the art of the Arabs took over the Spanish. In
1154, paper production has been established in Italy, in the 1228-meters in Germany, in the 1309-meters in
England. In later centuries, the paper has received worldwide the widest distribution, gradually gaining
more and more application. Its significance in our lives is so great that, in the opinion of the famous French
bibliographer A. Sima, our era can rightly be called the "paper era".
Fifth place - Gunpowder and Firearms.
The invention of gunpowder and spread it in Europe had huge implications for the future of human history.
While Europeans last of civilized nations have learned to do this explosive mixture, they were able to extract
from it the greatest discovery of practical use. The rapid development of firearms and military revolution
were the first consequences of proliferation of gunpowder. This in turn has led to a profound social shifts:
clad in armor knights and their impregnable castles were powerless to fire cannon and arquebus. Feudal
society was dealt a blow from which it has never recovered. In a short time, many European powers have
overcome feudal fragmentation and become a powerful centralized state.
Sixth place - the telegraph, telephone, internet, radio and other forms of modern
communication.
Up until the mid XIX century, the only means of communication between the European continent and
Britain, America and Europe, and between Europe and the colonies remained mail steamer. About incidents
and events in other countries learned late for weeks and sometimes months. For example, the news from
Europe to America were delivered in two weeks, and it was not the longest time. Therefore the creation of
the telegraph to meet the most urgent needs of humanity.
Once a technical innovation has appeared in all parts of the world and globe girded telegraph lines were
required only hours, sometimes minutes, the fact that the news over electrical wiring rushed from one
hemisphere to the other. Political and stock quotes, personal and business communication on the same day
could be delivered to interested parties. Thus, the telegraph should be referred to one of the most
important inventions in the history of civilization, because with it the human mind is the greatest victories
won over the distance.
With the invention of the telegraph was decided to send messages over long distances. However, the
telegraph could send only written dispatches. Meanwhile, many inventors have dreamed of a more perfect
way of communication and interpersonal skills, with which one could pass at any distance live sound of
human speech or music. The first experiments in this direction taken in 1837 by American physicist Paige.
The essence of Page's experiments was very simple. He assembled the circuit, which included a tuning fork,
an electromagnet, and galvanic cells. Thus, Paige showed that transmit sound by means of electric current
at all possible, you just have to create a better transmitting and receiving devices.
And in consequence, as a result of a long search, discoveries and inventions, there were mobile phone, TV,
Internet, and other means of communication of humanity, without which it is impossible to imagine our
modern life.
Seventh place - a car.
The car is one of the greatest inventions of those who, like the wheel, gunpowder, or electric current, had a
tremendous impact not only on the rocks of their era, but also to all subsequent times. His multifaceted
impact far beyond the transport sector. Car shaped modern industry, spawned new industries, despotic
rebuilt production itself, the first time giving it a mass, serial and product character. He transformed the
appearance of the planet, being girded with millions of kilometers of roads, put pressure on the
environment and even changed the psychology of the person. The influence of the vehicle is so multifaceted
that is felt in all spheres of human life. He became, as it were visible and visual embodiment of technological
progress in general, with all its advantages and disadvantages.
In the history of the car had a lot of amazing pages, but perhaps the most striking of them belong to the first
years of its existence. Is striking rapidity with which this invention has grown from emergence to maturity. It
took only a quarter of a century to the fact that the car of a capricious and unreliable even toys became the
most popular and widely used means of transport. Already in the early XX century, it was the principal
features identical modern car.
Eighth place - the light bulb.
In the last decades of the XIX century in the lives of many European cities included electric lighting.
Appearing first in the streets and squares, it soon penetrated into every home, in every apartment and
became an integral part of every civilized person. It was one of the most important events in the history of
technology, which had a large and diverse consequences. The rapid development of electric lighting led to
mass electrification revolution in energy and a major shift in the industry. But all this might not have
happened if the efforts of many inventors have not created a common and familiar to our device as a light
bulb. Among the greatest discoveries in human history it undoubtedly belongs to one of the most honorable
places.
Ninth place - Antibiotics, in particular - penicillin.
Antibiotics - one of the finest inventions of XX century in the field of medicine. Modern people do not
always realize is how much they owe it to medicines. Humanity in general very quickly get used to the
amazing achievements of the science, and sometimes you want to make some effort to imagine life as it
was, for example, before the invention of television, radio or the engine. As quickly entered our life a huge
family of various antibiotics, the first of which was penicillin.
Eventually, after a series of experiments and discoveries created penicillin. Penicillin appeared battered field
surgical miracle. He cured even the most severe cases, already bolevshih blood poisoning or pneumonia.
Creating penicillin proved to be one of the most important discoveries in the history of medicine and gave a
tremendous impetus to its further development.
Tenth place - Sail and boat.
It is believed that the prototype sails appeared in ancient times, when people first started to build boats and
ventured out into the sea. Early sail served simply stretched animal skin. Standing in the boat man had both
hands to hold and orient it relative to the wind. When people come up to strengthen the sail with the mast
and yard, is unknown, but at the earliest surviving images of Egyptian queen Hatshepsut ships can see
wooden masts and yards, and the forestay halyards and other rigging.
Plenty of evidence suggests that the first big sailing ships appeared in Egypt and the Nile was first abounding
river, which began to develop river navigation. Every year from July to November, the mighty river
overflows its banks, flooding their waters throughout the country. Villages and towns have been cut off
from each other like islands. Therefore, the court had to Egyptians necessity. In the economic life of the
country and in relations between people, they played a much greater role than wheeled vehicles.
One of the early varieties of Egyptian ships, appeared about 5000 BC, was a barge. She is known to modern
scientists on several models set in the ancient temples. As Egypt is very poor forest for construction of the
first ships were widely used papyrus feature of this material identified design and shape of ancient Egyptian
ships. It was a crescent-related bundles of papyrus boat with curved upward and aft. To bring to the ship
hull strength tightened ropes. Later, when to establish a regular trade with the Phoenicians in Egypt began
to arrive in large numbers Lebanese cedar tree was widely used in shipbuilding.