Notable Human

Successes in the field

of Science and
Technology
LESSON 1
The Wheel
 a circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to
move easily over the ground.

 The oldest wheel found in archaeological excavations was discovered in what was Mesopotamia and
is believed to be over 5,500 years old.

 The earliest wheels were used as potter's wheels.

 The wheelbarrow—a simple cart with a single wheel—was invented by the ancient Greeks.

 The earliest form of wheels were made of wood, with a hole in the core for the axle. The wheel is
unique because, unlike other early human inventions such as the pitchfork—which was inspired by
forked sticks—it is not based on anything in nature.
Uses of the Wheel in the Ancient Time

Potter`s Wheel Grinder Transportation

The Compass
 An instrument that has magnetic needle that, when it is positioned horizontally,
can rotate freely around its vertical axis and because the needle aligns with North-
South direction it is used for navigation and orientation

 The Chinese invented the 1st compass sometime between the 9th and 11th century
and was made of lodestone.

 The Chinese invented the compass not intended for navigation but for:
1. Divination
2. fortune-telling
3. Geomancy
4. Feng Shui
Evolution of the Compass

Chinese Mariner`s Compass European/Arabic

The Printing Press
 The printing press is a device that allows for the mass production of uniform
printed matter, mainly text in the form of books, pamphlets and newspapers.

 It was Johannes Gutenburg, a German who invented the printing press around
1440.

 Woodblock printing in East Asia had been prevalent since China's Tang dynasty in
the 8th century

 The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist book from Dunhuang, China from around 868
A.D. during the Tang Dynasty, is said to be the oldest known printed book.
Evolution of the Printing Press

Woodblock Mechanical Modern

Internal Combustion Engine
 is a heat engine where the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually
air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow
circuit.

 Robert Street patented the internal combustion engine, which was also the first to
used the liquid fuel called Petroleum. (1794)

 Steam Engine- is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its
working fluid.

 One of the first steam engines was invented by Thomas Savery in 1698.
Evolution of the Modern Engine

Internal Combustion Steam Engine Modern Engine

Telephone
 a system for transmitting voices over a distance using wire or radio, by converting
acoustic vibrations to electrical signals.

 Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be awarded a patent for the electric
telephone in 1876.

 The concept of the telephone dates back to the string telephone or lover's
telephone that has been known for centuries, comprising two diaphragms
connected by a taut string or wire.
Telephone

First telephone Alexander Modern Telephone

Penicillin
 In 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed a bacteria- filled Petri dish in his
laboratory, the sample had become contaminated with a mold, and everywhere the mold was,
the bacteria was dead.

 The antibiotic mold turned out to be the fungus Penicillium.

 Penicillins are a group of antibacterial drugs that attack a wide range of bacteria.

 Common side effects of Penicillin:

1. Diarrhea
2. Nausea
3. Headache
4. Skin rashes and Hives
Alexander Fleming
The Internet
 A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities,
consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

 It is impossible to credit the invention of the internet to a single person, as countless people helped
developed it. In the 1960`s a team of computer scientists working for the U.S Defense department`s
ARPA (Advance Research Projects Agency)built a communications network to connect computers in
the agency called ARPANET.

 It used a method of data transmission called “packet switching”.

Eco- Friendly Technologies/ Advantage

Geothermal Wind Solar

Disadvantages and Ethical dilemmas of Science and Technology
 Threats to human survival

 Ethical Dilemmas

 Disparities in human well being

 Social and cultural conflict

 Innovating technologies can have negative consequences for certain sectors or constituencies.