Technology

• The Printing Press

  • Before the 1400s: Books were handwritten (manuscripts), time-consuming, and expensive, making them very rare.
  • Johannes Gutenberg: Invented the moveable type printing press in the mid-1400s.
  • Process: Individual metal letters were placed in a frame to form words, coated with ink, and pressed onto paper. The first book printed was the Gutenberg Bible.
  • Spread: By 1500, printing presses were operating in every major European city.
• Impact and Contribution to Historical Change

  • Cheaper and Quicker: Printed books were far less expensive and faster to produce.
  • Increased Literacy: More people learned to read and write, leading to widespread reading and the introduction of new ideas.
  • Decline of Church Control: The Catholic Church’s control over learning and ideas weakened.
  • Rise of Vernacular: Books were published in native languages, not just Latin.
  • Renaissance Spread: The printing press was crucial in spreading Renaissance ideas across Europe.
• Advances in Navigation

  • Before the Age of Exploration: Sailors stayed close to shorelines.
  • New Maps: Cartographers used detailed maps from Constantinople and developed portolan charts to map coastlines, harbors, currents, tides, and depths accurately.
• New Equipment

  • Quadrant and Astrolabe: Used to determine a ship’s latitude.
  • Compass: Located north and identified direction.
  • Log and Line: Measured a ship’s speed in knots.
  • Line and Lead Weight: Measured water depth to ensure safe sailing.
  • Logbook: Captains recorded travel information regularly.
• New Ship Innovations

  • Caravel: Large, sturdy ships with triangular lateen sails for better maneuverability.
  • Carvel-Built Hulls: Planks fitted edge to edge, making ships lighter and larger.
  • Rudder: Improved steering.
  • Castle: At the back of the deck, provided lookout and defensive area.
• Impact and Contribution to Historical Change

  • Accurate Navigation: Allowed sailors to determine their exact location and make long voyages safer.
  • Exploration and Colonization: Enabled European exploration, conquest, and colonization of the Americas and beyond.
• World War II

  • Improved Submarines and Torpedoes: Research into sonar (ASDIC) and radar.
  • Aircraft Carriers: Mobile airbases at sea.
  • Tanks: Development of Panzer tanks, dummy tanks, and amphibious tanks.
  • Weapons: Improved grenades, pistols, rifles, and machine guns, like the MG 42.
• In the Air

  • Aircraft: British Hurricane and Spitfire, US B-29 Superfortress, and Luftwaffe
• • Manhattan Project: US research program developing the atomic bomb, used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

  Impact and Contribution to Historical Change

  • Mobile Warfare: Technology allowed rapid movement and more extensive destruction.
  • Civilian Impact: Increased civilian casualties and city destruction.
  • Cold War Tensions: The atomic bomb threat loomed over US-Soviet relations.