By far the greatest leaps forward were made in Europe. It is a little ironic that the Europeans, who had lagged behind in the discovery of gunpowder, became the clear leaders in the development and use of firearms, outstripping both the Chinese and the Arabs. From the onset of the gunpowder revolution, Europe opened up a sizeable lead in matters of weapon technology and this lead was never allowed to dwindle, instead it only increased with the passage of time. The reasons why Europe was greatly affected by the gunpowder revolution are obvious when one considers the superiority of firearms over the weapons that were in use before the advent of gunpowder. The more plausible question might be as to why the Chinese and the Arabs did not react with the same enthusiasm as the Europeans to the arrival of the new technology.
Fireworks provide the public with spectacular and mesmerizing explosions that leave the audience in awe, but how do they work? The art of fireworks first originated in ancient China, where the very first firework or firecracker were bamboo shoots filled with gun powder. They were exploded at the start of a new year to scare away evil spirits. Today, modern fireworks are still used in celebrations to mark special occasions. However, throughout the years the mechanics of how fireworks are made slightly became more advanced.
Paper was invented during the Han Dynasty. Other contributions of the ancient Chinese are pasta, wheelbarrow, alcohol, kites, hang gliders and silk. Of all on the contributions from the ancient Chinese gunpowder, paper, compass and printing are the most innovative. The discovery of gunpowder by the ancient Chinese was purely accidental in the 9th century. Rather, the Chinese alchemists were searching for an elixir of life.
The advancements of ancient China have had one of the largest impacts on the world. One of these advancements still used constantly throughout the world today is gunpowder. In ancient China, an alchemist was a man whom spent his life trying to discover the secret of immortality through experimentations involving the elements (Echoes from the Past 355). It was during one of such experiments that Sun Si Miao, a renowned alchemist, stumbled upon gunpowder (Echoes from the Past 356). The newly discovered gunpowder was first applied to scaring off wild animals (Echoes from the Past 356).
The book, Art of War, reveals several aspects of Chinese military warfare that differs from the Romans. While Chinese warfare was more concerned with tactics and strategies to The Chinese empire was very successful in many of their militaristic endeavors because they used many clever warfare strategies. In Sun Tzu’s book, Art of War, the primary strategy the Chinese empire implemented was focused on gaining absolute control over enemy forces. Manipulating and weakening the enemy was crucial in order to gain control over the enemy. Using the terrain to the enemy’s disadvantage and to the army’s advantage was one way Sun Tzu implemented his strategy.
Early in the nineteenth century, the British had gained great influence and rule over China, for it was more modernized and developed, and consequently had more power. Not only that, but they started selling opium in China to balance their purchases of tea for export. (“Opium Wars” 35986). This resulted into an addiction to opium, a detrimental effect on the Chinese citizens caused by the Europeans. China’s response to this was to implement their prohibition against import of this drug by destroying a lot of opium on the ships arriving at the Port of Canton.
The musket, armed with its bayonet as well as the cannon proved to be worthy weaponry advancements in the infantry together with various pistols. The Civil War introduced the revolving pistol as well as the Gatling gun which enabled soldiers to produce rapid fire and destroy enemies in large quantities with a single round. New technological advancements in transportation such as the railroad, enabled large quantities of troops to travel to a given area in nearly half the amount of time. However, the turn of the twentieth introduced new technological advancements in the country as well as the military. This ignited a century of technological advancements in the military that has enabled the United States to excel in militaristic domination.
The Mesopotamians were the first to use chariots in war, in 2400 BC. The chariot diffused fast to other human societies all over the world, mainly because it had become an efficient military weapon (Publins, 2013). The Hittites, for instance, relied on it to establish their first Kingdom in 1700 BC. By 1300 BC, the chariot had already penetrated into China from the Northwest. Since the kingdoms and societies using this vehicle in war were found to be superior based on the size of their chariots, it became a master weapon and spread all over the world within a short time.
China is a civilization that is the longest enduring since around 3,500 B.C.E. They had many important inventions that still exist and are in use today. Gunpowder is probably the most well-known. The Chinese used gunpowder in grenades and bombs that they would place at their enemies’ gates. Anytime a soldier or hunter shoots a gun, he or she is using technology developed by the ancient Chinese.
Ancient Chinese Contributions World Cultures March 3, 2013 In today’s society we take a lot of things for advantage. It’s easy to forget about those before our time who made it so easy for us to glide through life as effortlessly as possible. The Ancient Chinese culture quite possibly has made the most significant contributions to the lifestyles we live. The Ancient Chinese are responsible for many great inventions that are still widely used in today’s society. For example, the Ancient Chinese invented alcohol during the Xia Dynasty.