Three course-changing Events in the history of western technology Term Paper

Three course-changing Events in the history of western technology - Term Paper Example The present superiority of the western world crucially pivots on the excellence of the technological development which mainly starts in the first half of the 18th century. Inventions of new technologies and gradual shift from manual labor to machine for nationwide internal production gradually begin to make the warring nations of the European continent outbound in search of newer supplies of raw materials to feed their gigantic machine-based industries and at the same time newer markets in order to sell the surplus commodities and goods after meeting their national demands. Consequently, Europe-controlled trade and commerce began to expand rapidly all over the world. Therefore, an economically strong militarily superior and Europe began to emerge in world politics. Indeed the West did not achieve this excellence overnight. Rather the west has a long tradition of science and technology and a great deal of course-changing inventions of technology. Among these course-changing events in technology, the inventions of print-machine, dry compass and the birth of Leonardo de Vinci are the most mentionable three. Indeed the chronology of the two inventions is such that the following had been benefitted by the preceding one. Gutenberg’s Invention of Printing Machine in 1436 It will not be an exaggeration to say that an enlightened Europe had been possible to a great extent because of Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of printing technology in 1436. ... According to a study, by the end of the fifteenth century, there were about 236 cities, all over Europe, that established printing machines (Febvre 36). But by the end of the 16th Century the printing presses in the European countries had produced about 200 millions of books. In the 1600s, the printing presses in Europe were â€Å"capable of producing 3,600 impressions per workday† (Wolf 213). Indeed, it is almost impossible to sum up the effects and the aftermaths of the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press. To a great extent, the invention of printing press was one of the direct catalysts of the Reformation. The catholic versus protestant conflict during the Reformation was able to achieve a popular dimension amongst the common people with the blessings of the printing presses. About 750000 pieces of Erasmus’s work, one of the leading figures of the Reformation, were sold in print-format during his lifetime. Again 300000 printed copies of Luther’s tra cts were distributed among the common people. Apart from the Reformation as the direct consequence of the invention of Gutenberg printing press, there are numerous events in the history of western world that can be linked with this invention. The Renaissance, the Enlightenment of Europe, the Age of Exploration and the Industrial Revolution were some of the remote mega events that were engendered by the invention of printing press since it led to the democratization of knowledge while establishing numerous groups of scholars and communities of scientists. Effects of the Invention of Dry-Compass and the Development of Maritime Technology Contemporary to the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press, the invention of dry compass along