Inventors have been changing the world for centuries and in this article, you are introduced to the man credited with inventing paper. Other historic figures discussed in this article include Johann Gutenberg, Alexander Fleming and James Watt.
Ts’ai Lun (or Cai Lun)
Without the contribution of Ts’ai Lun, there would be no letters traveling across the world, documents to be signed, or pages of books to turn. As a follower of the Chinese traditional religion, Ts’ai Lun was a Chinese eunuch, who happened to be the inventor of paper and the process of making paper , the kind that is used during modern times. Paper actually existed in China since the 2nd century BC before Ts’ai Lun ever came into the picture, but he is regarded as being responsible for making significant improvements that allowed paper to be manufactured. He did so by incorporating new materials.
Johann Gutenberg
With the development of movable type, Johann Gutenberg made it possible for Bibles to go into print. The Catholic blacksmith, printer and publisher was born in 1398 and is responsible for introducing Europeans to the art of printing. He invented mechanical movable type printing that started the Printing Revolution. He first used movable type printing in around 1439. He also created the printing press, wooden printing presses, and the use of oil-based inks.
Alexander Fleming
Making strides in bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy, Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist that invented penicillin , the antibiotic still used today that fights infection. For this achievement, he earned a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945, which he shared with two others. Fleming was a Catholic.
James Watt
James Watt (1736-1819) is a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer who contributed improvements to the Newcomen steam engine, which led to changes that ignited the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and the rest of the world. Watt was working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow when he became attracted to the technology concerning steam engines. He noticed that contemporary designs of engines wasted too much energy because they had to continuously cool and reheat the cylinder. Watt is responsible for introducing an enhanced design that included a separate condenser. In the end, energy was saved and a significant change was seen in the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of the steam engines. In time, Watt worked with adapting his engine to generate rotary motion, which helped include many other uses besides the ability to pump water. James Watt once followed the Presbyterian faith, but it is noted that he had lapsed in his religion at one point