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borismus/asimov.csv

Created July 1, 2019 22:37
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asimov.csv
ID Date Discovery / Invention Individual Location (Empire) Notes Deps Type (Discovery/Invention/Social/Technique) Soft/hard? Field
biped 4000000 BCE Bipedal species emerged
stone-tool 2000000 BCE Stone tools used biped Invention
fire 500000 BCE Fire tamed Invention
religion 200000 BCE Religion Social Soft
art 20000 BCE Art Social Soft
bow 20000 BCE Bows and arrows used stone-tool Invention War
oil-lamp 20000 BCE Oil lamps invented stone-tool Invention
animal-dom 12000 BCE Animals domesticated Not horses. Maybe dogs and oxen? biped Technique Agriculture
agriculture 8000 BCE Agriculture developed animal-dom Technique Agriculture
pottery 7000 BCE Pottery used biped Invention Culture
fish-nets 6000 BCE Linen cords used for nets stone-tool Invention Agriculture
raft 6000 BCE Rafts invented stone-tool Invention Transportation
sickle 6000 BCE Sickles invented stone-tool Invention Agriculture
irrigation 5000 BCE Irrigation used agriculture Technique Agriculture
scales 5000 BCE Scales for measurement developed Technique Soft Math
copper 4000 BCE Copper obtained from ore stone-tool Technique
sundial 4000 BCE Sundial invented Invention Navigation
bronze 3600 BCE Bronze discovered copper Technique
carts 3500 BCE Wheeled carts invented stone-tool Invention Agriculture
river-boat 3500 BCE River boats invented (on the Nile) raft Invention Transportation
writing 3500 BCE Writing developed Social Soft
plough 3500 BCE Ploughs invented agriculture Invention Agriculture
nation 3100 BCE First nation established Egypt Institution Soft
candle 3000 BCE Candles invented Invention
calendar 2800 BCE Calendar invented Invention
stone-monument 2650 BCE Stone monuments constructed religion Soft
literature 2500 BCE Literature developed writing Institution Soft
glass 2500 BCE Glass invented fire
empire 2340 BCE First empire established Sargon Akkad nation Institution Soft
horse-tamed 2000 BCE Horses tamed animal-dom Soft Transportation
numbers 1800 BCE First number system developed Egypt Base 60 writing Math
fermentation 1800 BCE Use of fermentation discovered According to Wikipedia, fermentation was used in 6000 BCE in China. Sigh. Chemistry
law 1775 BCE First surviving law code established King Hammurabi Babylon writing Soft
medicine 1550 BCE First surviving account of medical remedies Eber’s Papyrus Soft Medicine
alphabet 1500 BCE Phonetic alphabet developed Phonecian alphabet writing Social Soft
monotheism 1375 BCE Monotheism espoused Pharoah Amenhotep IV Egypt religion Social Soft
dye 1200 BCE Dyes resistant to sun and water invented Invention
sea-navigation 1100 BCE Sea navigation Phonecians river-boat Navigation
steel 1000 BCE Steel invented Iron Age begins bronze
arches 750 BCE Architectural arches built Etruscans stone-monument Architecture
aqueducts 700 BCE Aqueducts built stone-monument Architecture
zoo 700 BCE Zoos built Sennacherib Assyria animal-dom Architecture
sundial?? 700 BCE Sundials invented Navigation
library 640 BCE Library built Ashurbanipal Assyria literature Architecture
coin 640 BCE Coins used (Currency) Lydian government issued pieces of gold w/ standard weight numbers Soft
eclipse 585 BCE Solar eclipse predicted Thales Greece numbers Soft Space
water-element 580 BCE Water as an element theorized Soft Chemistry
irrational-numbers 520 BCE Irrational numbers defined Pythagoras Greece Unit isoceles right triangle with hypotenuse sqrt(1) numbers Math
realistic-maps 510 BCE Realistic maps developed Hecateus Greece writing Navigation
ocean-navigation 500 BCE Ocean navigation Phonecia Early exploration of the Atlantic ocean sea-navigation Soft Navigation
cadaver 500 BCE Human cadaver dissection Alcmaeon Greece medicine Medicine
abacus 500 BCE Abacus invented Earliest: Greece numbers Math
venus-named 500 BCE Venus named (should this be here?) Pythagoras Greece I guess it’s significant that the evening star and morning star were identified... Space
dream-interpretation 480 BCE Rational interpretation of dreams theorized (???) Again, why is this here? Philosophy
rationalism 440 BCE Rationalism (everything has a non-divine cause) Leucippus Greece religion Philosophy
atom 440 BCE Atoms theorized (the world is made of indivisible particles) Democritus Greece
epilepsy 420 BCE Epilepsy the disease discovered Medicine
catapult 400 BCE Catapult invented Under Dionysius Greece numbers Invention War
university 387 BCE University built Plato Greece library Institution
heliocentricity 350 BCE Heliocentricity theorized Philolaus Greece Discovery Space
spherical-earth 350 BCE Spherical earth theorized Pythagoras Greece Discovery Geography
logic 350 BCE Logic Aristotle Greece numbers Technique Math
five-elements 350 BCE Five elements theorized Aristotle Greece atom Discovery Chemistry
animal-classification 350 BCE Animal classification theorized Aristotle Greece animal-dom Discovery Biology
star-maps 350 BCE Star maps developed Eudoxus Greece realistic-maps Technique Space
botany 320 BCE Botany book written Theophrastus Greece Biology
paved-road 312 BCE Paved roads built Appius Claudius Greece Appian Way stone-monument Invention
geometry 300 BCE Geometry Euclid Greece logic Technique Math
tides 300 BCE Tides discovered Pytheas Greece ocean-navigation Navigation
arteries-veins 300 BCE Arteries vs veins discovered Praxagoras Greece Soft Medicine
brain-areas 280 BCE Parts of brain named discovered Erasistratus, Herophilus Greece Medicine
moon-sun-size 280 BCE Size of moon and sun estimated Aristarchus Greece Space
lighthouse 280 BCE Lighthouses built Greece Lighthouse of Alexandria (at Pharos) ocean-navigation Navigation
water-clock 270 BCE Water clock invented Ctesibius Greece
lever-math 260 BCE Lever mathematics understood Archimedes Greece logic Math
earth-size 240 BCE Size of earth estimated Eratosthenes Greece geometry Geography
year-number 240 BCE Standardized year numbering created Seleucus I Greece Formerly "the seventh year of King X" calendar
great-wall 214 BCE Great Wall of China begun (should this be here?) Shih Huang Ti China stone-monument Architecture
parchment 170 BCE Parchment invented Eumenes II Pergamum (Hellnistic) Previously papyrus, now animal skin. animal-dom
moon-distance 150 BCE Distance to the moon estimated Hipparchus Greece geometry Space
star-maps-better 134 BCE Star maps significantly improved Hipparchus Greece Including magnitudes (brightnesses), included 1000 stars star-maps Space
glass-blowing 100 BCE Glass blowing invented Syria (Hellenistic) Previously glass making was done by hand glass
water-wheel 85 BCE Water wheels invented First written mention, likely invented earlier. According to wikipedia, MUCH earlier. carts Power
julian-calendar 46 BCE Julian calendar (including leap year) adopted Sosigenes Greece year-number
climactic-zone 25 CE Climactic zones first suggested Pomponius Mela Greece realistic-maps
medicinal-plants 50 CE Medical applications of plants Pedanius Dioscorides Greece Described 600 plants, 1000 drugs fermentation Medicine
steam-engine 50 CE Rudimentary steam engine invented Hero Greece Worked like a modern lawn sprinkler, had no bearing on society fire Power
paper 105 CE Paper invented Thai Lun China Took 1000 years to reach Europe parchment
geocentric-universe 140 CE Geocentric universe model suggested Ptolemy Greece Remained canon for 14 centuries star-maps-better Space
spinal-cord 180 CE Understanding of spinal cord and other basic anatomy Galen Greece Cut animals’ spines to see resulting paralysis Medicine
algebra 250 CE Algebra formalized Diophantus Greece Fractions can be treated as numbers. geometry Math
tea 250 CE Tea invented China Reduced infection since it required water to be boiled
alchemy 300 CE Alchemy summarized (???) Zosimus Greece Unclear why this matters. five-elements Chemistry
metal-stirrup 300 CE Metal stirrups invented China More stability for the rider, less chance to be thrown off horse in battle steel Transportation
wheelbarrow 400 CE Wheelbarrows invented China Potentially much earlier than 400 CE. steel Farming
dome 537 CE Architectural domes first built Emperor Justinian (funder) Rome Hagia Sophia geometry Architecture
silk-europe 552 CE Silk came to Europe from China via Silk Road Emperor Justinian (funder) Rome/China Constantinople began silk production Trade
turnplow 600 CE Moldboard plows (Turnplow) Slavs A plow with a vertical knife-blade that cut deep into the earth. Useful for damp, moist ground, led to increase in carrying capacity plough Farming
greek-fire 673 CE Greek fire, a napalm like weapon for naval battle Callnicus Byzantium catapult War
porcelain 700 CE Porcelain invented China Eventually came to Europe, known as “China” and replaced wood dishes pottery
acetic-acid 750 CE Acetic acid discovered Jamir bin Hayyan (Geber) Arabia Found accidentally, while trying to find an alchemic elixir of life fermentation Chemistry
iron-horseshoes 770 CE Iron horseshoes invented Europe??? (Outside of Asimov: Frankish King Childeric in 550 CE) steel
zero 810 CE Zero first used in positional notation Muhammad bin Al-Khwarizmi Arabia Around 500 zero as a symbol was invented in India. algebra Math
coffee 850 CE Coffee discovered Arabia Muslims didn’t know about tea, couldn’t drink alcohol, so needed some water that was treated.
arctic-circle 870 CE First crossing into the arctic circle Ottar Viking Geography
iceland-settled 847 CE First settlement established on Iceland Ingolfur Arnarson Viking Europe’s first expansion to new land overseas. Iceland first discovered around 550 CE by Brendan, an Irishman Geography
horse-collar 900 CE Horse collars invented Europe? Allowed horses to pull by their shoulders not their windpipe, increasing pulling capacity by 5x plough
greenland 982 CE Greenland discovered Erik the Red Viking Geography
newfoundland 1000 CE Newfoundland and Labrador discovered Leif Ericksson Viking Geography
optics 1025 CE Human vision understood and vision correcting lenses invented Alhazen Arabia Foundation of the field of optics Medicine
crossbow 1050 CE Crossbows invented France First mechanized handheld weapon. Range of 300m, penetrated chainmail lever-math War
new-star 1054 CE Creation of a new star witnessed China Went unnoticed in Europe Space
bright-comet 1066 CE Bright comet seen (???) Nomandy Space
gunpowder 1044 CE Gunpowder invented China Used by the Chinese in war mostly to scare the mongols (not efficient weapons) fire War
fork 1071 CE Forks in europe Byzantoum Originated in Byzantium, arrived in Venice. Replaced eating with fingers
flying-buttress 1137 CE Flying buttresses first constructed Suger France St. Denis in 1137. dome Technique Architecture
windmill 1180 CE Windmills in Europe Persia Actually invented around 700, brought to France from persia. Alternative power to water wheels water-wheel Invention Power
compass 1180 CE Magnetic compasses first used for navigation Alexander Neckham England Thales of Greece discovered magnetixation of metal. Chinese discovered N-S orientation. ocean-navigation Invention Navigation
spitzbergen 1194 CE Spitz bergen discovered Vikings Extremely far north islands at 79 degrees N Geography
arab-numbers 1202 CE Arabic numerals arrive to Europe Al-Khwarizmi Arabia Popularized by Fibonacci, but existed in parallel with Roman numerals for 3 centuries zero Math
coal-mining 1228 CE Coal mining first begins England First mined in Newcastle. Important in England since land was being deforested. fire
rudder 1241 CE Rudders for boats first used in Europe Arabia Likely brought back from crusades. Widely used by ships of Hanseatic League ocean-navigation Invention Navigation
eyeglass 1249 CE Eyeglasses invented Roger Bacon England Invented in China around the same time. Only convex. glass-blowing Optics
gunpowder-europe 1249 CE Gunpowder brought to Europe China Perfected by Europeans to make it a serious weapon gunpowder War
planetary-table 1252 CE Planetary tables improved Alfonso X (funder) Castile More accurate than Ptolemy's geocentric model geocentric-universe Discovery Space
magnetic-pole 1269 CE Magnetic poles discovered, magnetic compass improved Pelerin de Maricourt France Proto-experimental science compass Discovery Navigation
mirror 1291 CE Mirrors invented Venice Previously all glass was colored, but with clear glass, all it took was a backing metal surface glass-blowing Invention
far-east 1298 CE Far east discovered by Europeans Marco Polo Venice Far east became a wonder-goal for European dreamers Discovery Geography
spinning-wheel 1298 CE Spinning wheels invented Europe Previously done by hand, spinning wheels made the process much easier lever-math Invention
longbow 1298 CE Longbows invented Wales Twice the range of a crossbow, far greater force. Big implications for war crossbow Invention
sulfuric-acid 1300 CE Sulfuric acid discovered "False Geber" Arabia Far stronger than acetic acid acetic-acid Discovery Chemistry
distillation 1300 CE Liquor distillation invented Arnau de Villanova Spain Much faster than waiting for natural fermentation. Villanova made Brandy fermentation Invention Chemistry
comet-depiction 1304 CE First realistic depiction of a comet Giotto di Bondone Italy Seen by naked eye. Painted in "Adoration of the Magi" Discovery Space
canary-islands 1312 CE Canary islands discovered by Europeans Geona Originally discovered in 40 BCE by King of Mauritania Discovery Geography
anatomy 1316 CE Anatomy book first published Mondino de Luzzi Italy After a ban, cadaver dissection became possible again cadaver Discovery Biology
mechanical-clock 1335 CE Mechanical clocks invented Italy Weight-powered, more accurate than water clock. Hourly chimes water-clock Invention
cannon 1346 CE Cannon invented Edward III (funder) England Primitive cannons used at siege of Metz gunpowder Invention War
quarantine 1403 CE Quarantine first used Venice Venician policy to delay strangers from entering the city until a waiting period had passed (40 days) Discovery Medicine
indian-ocean 1405 CE Indian ocean discovered Cheng Ho (Zheng He) China Led expedition to Red Sea, India, Ceylon, brought back ruler of Ceylon as prisoner Discovery Geography
madeira 1418 CE Madeira discovered and settled Prince Henry the Navigator Portugal Kicked off the European Age of Exploration Discovery Geography
azores 1427 CE Azores discovered Diogo de Sevilha Portugal 1/3 of the way to America. Like Madeira, originally uninhabited, also still part of Portugal Discovery Geography
perspective 1436 CE Perspective used in paintings Leon Battista Alberti Italy Book published about how to draw in perspective optics Invention Art
artillery 1439 CE Artillery invented Jean and Gaspard Bureau England Improved upon cannons. Artillery was good against city walls cannon Invention War
arquebus 1450 CE Arquebus invented Spain First gun small enough to be fired by one person artillery Invention War
concave-lenses 1451 CE Concave lenses invented Nicholas of Cusa Germany Previous lenses (convex) were only for farsighted people eyeglass Invention
movable-type 1454 CE Printing (Movable type) invented Johannes Gutenberg Germany Proto-printing was done by Sumerians and Chinese paper Invention Writing
comet-tracking 1472 CE Comet trajectory tracking first done Johann Muller Germany Comets usually viewed with terror, now understood rationally. optics Discovery Space
cape-good-hope 1487 CE Cape of Good Hope first charted Bartholomeu Diaz Portugal Initially called Cape of Storms, renamed as Good Hope by John II who knew it would open trade routes with orient Geography
new-world 1492 CE New world discovered by modern Europeans Christopher Columbus Italy Funding from Spain, first landing: Bahamas. Discovery Geography
magnetic-declination 1492 CE Magnetic declination Christopher Columbus Italy Saw declination of the compass compared to the starts magnetic-pole Discovery Navigation
syphilis 1495 CE Syphilis identified Italy/France Breakout during siege of Naples by France. Named after the protagonist of a poem that had syphilis. Medicine
india-water-route 1497 CE India water route discovered by Europeans Vasco da Gama Portugal Lost 3/5 of crew to scurvy. cape-good-hope Geography
america 1502 CE America discovered by modern Europeans Amerigo Vespucci Italy Realized they weren't in Asia new-world Discovery Geography
hand-watch 1504 CE Spring-powered watches invented Allowed much smaller, non-vertical clocks mechanical-clock Invention
pacific-ocean 1513 CE Pacific ocean discovered ("south sea") Nunez de Balboa Spain In search of asian wealth, crossed panama to get to the Pacific Discovery Geography
florida 1513 CE Florida discovered Ponce de Leon Spain First portion of USA to be settled by Europeans Discovery Geography
mexico 1519 CE Mexico discovered and conquered by Spain de Cordoba/Cortez Spain 17: Landed on Yucatan, traces of Maya 19: landed and went to war Discovery Geography
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