The Chinese discovered fireworks and gunpowder about two millennia ago during the Sung Dynasty. A popular story tells how a cook stumbled upon it when he unintentionally mixed sulphur, saltpeter and charcoal. The mixture was combustible: it burned and when stored in a bamboo case exploded. This may be considered the first fireworks ever made. But not for the same purpose as fireworks are now used—in celebrations. The Chinese had a more urgent issue to deal with. They built rockets powered with this new powder and used them well against the Mongols in the 1200s.

A thousand years later, another Chinese man discovered he could make firecrackers. This time it was a Chinese monk from the city of Liu Yung, in Hu Nan province. The monk’s name was Li Tian. His achievement was so significant to the Chinese that they built a temple for him during the Song Dynasty. Since then, the Chinese have been celebrating the discovery of fireworks on April 18 by making offerings to Li Tian.

Why did the Chinese use fireworks and firecrackers? The Chinese have always been keen on finding good luck and keeping bad luck away. Every ritual or custom was meant to either drive away evil or draw in the good. Fireworks used in celebrations and holidays were no exception. The Chinese believed that the noise of fireworks could terrify evil spirits. This would send them away and leave the people safe and happy. Eventually the Chinese came to use the fireworks to frighten malevolent ghosts and spirits on every special occasion. They used fireworks in wedding feasts, births, funerals, birthdays and especially the lunar new year.

Europe discovered the black powder – and therefore fireworks – in the 13th century. The importer is said to have been either the Crusaders or traveler Marco Polo. When the Europeans got their hands on this black powder, the first thing they did was use it in weapons like rockets and canons. It was Italy and Germany that were keen on using it for making fireworks. The Italians made the fanciest pyrotechnics while the Germans focused on the technical aspects. Fireworks became a hit throughout the continent, becoming an integral part of every celebration.

To this day the fireworks tradition continues. China’s Hu Nan province remains a world leader in the manufacture of firecrackers, while Italian families still own the leading brands of fireworks in the west today. Fireworks can cause injuries, especially to children (and drunkards as well). So the sale of firecrackers is regulated in many places including the United States.

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Tags: Science

Photography literally means “drawing with light” from Greek “photos” and “graphen.” The principle that makes taking pictures possible was first noted by Aristotle in 300 BC. Much later in 1000 AD, a Persian optics expert and scientist named Abu Alhazin took this principle and invented the camera obscura or pinhole. It was a device that could take a scene and project it on a surface upside down. It was the oldest camera.

Beginning of Photography

Photography as we know it was first done by a Frenchman named Joseph Nicephore Niepce in the year 1827. He used a device known as a camera obscura or pinhole. Niepce did not invent the camera obscura. Others had used it before as a viewfinder, or tool for drawing. But he was the first to use it to create a photographic image. At the time people called his productions “heliographs” because sunlight was used to draw them. (Helios is Greek for light.)

To create a photograph, Niepce made a metal engraving covered with bitumen. He then exposed the metal plate to light. An image would slowly appear following the pattern of the engraving. The dark areas appeared dark, and the lighter areas were light. It was a long process taking about 8 hours. The image wasn’t permanent either.

Another French native also discovered a way to make photography. His name was Louis Daguerre. Working painstakingly, Daguerre shortened the exposure time to half an hour. He was also able to make the images permanent. Of all the inventors of photographic devices then, Daguerre was the first to publicize his work. His was also the first with a relatively short exposure time. Thus Louis Daguerre was considered the man who discovered photography. Sir John F.W. Herschel was the one who coined the term “photography” to describe the art of recording by light.

The Daguerreotype

Daguerre and Niepce began to work together to perfect their discovery. But Niepce died some time later and Daguerre had to carry on the work with the former’s son. In 1839 Daguerre invented the daguerreotype, named after its creator. This photography model formed a negative image which was then exposed on a silver mirror polished with iodine. Once the image appeared, Daguerre covered it with silver chloride to preserve it.

That same year, the French government bought the rights to the daguerreotype from Daguerre and Niepce’s son. They then wrote a book on how the invention was made. People rushed to acquire the device. Soon photography studios were popping up everywhere

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Tags: Machine, Proffesion

Nowadays, we use different types of oil – for cooking, maintenance of vehicles, and for other things. But where did this really start? Who discovered oil?

A Part of Human History

Ever since the start of recorded history, it was known that oil was already part of man’s existence. Earliest records point to about two hundred million years in the past before the dinosaurs roamed the lands. But there were no actual records of the first person or group who discovered oil.

Some sources of oil come from animal fat. That is why no one is sure whether the oils used during ancient times actually refer to animal fat or the ones that can be found under the ground.

Ancient Writings

Early Greek writings show how oil was already a necessity. It was used to set fire to the fleets of enemies. Its thicker version, named as “Pitch,”was also used as a waterproof blocker for Noah’s ark and the basket where the baby Moses was said to have been placed. Also, oil was used by American Indians during their time for waterproofing canoes and making medicines and warpaint.

Some Types of Oil

Petroleum as we know now came from the Greek word “petra” or “petros” which means rock, and the Latin word “oleum” which means oil or fat. Taken literally, the word petroleum would mean the “oil that comes from rock.”

Crude oil was used about 2500 years in the past in a place in China called as Sichuan. Seems like a long time ago. However, there are some accounts which show the usage of oil wells started around 347 A.D. in the same country.

Historical Records of Oil Wells

As mentioned above, it was in 347 when the country of China made and used the oil wells. According to accounts, the wells had a depth of around eight hundred feet deep, and were connected to some bamboo poles with the use of bits.

In 1264, the mining of the oil’s natural seeps took place in Persia. This was witnessed by a well-renowned man named Marco Polo while traveling through Baku.

During the 1500s, Poland’s Carpathian Mountains became a source for seep oil to provide light for street lamps.

In Baku, Persia, it was written that the oil wells were actually hand dug to about thirty five meters in its depth (which is equivalent to 115 feet deep). This was in the year 1594.

In the year 1735, the oil sands were mined and extracted in France – particularly, in the Pechelbronn field in Alsace.

In Pennsylvania, records show that oil was produced in brine wells in 1815.

Asia also had its own modern well. It was in 1848 when the first oil well was drilled by F.N. Semyenov, a Russian engineer, in the northeastern part of Baku known as Aspheron Peninsula.

Europe also had its share in the oil industry when it had its first oil wells drilled at Bobrka, Poland in 1854 by Ignacy Lukasiewicz.

Just like no one knows who discovered oil, the question on who to give credit to for making the first oil well is still confusing. Some say that credit should be given to the person who drilled the oil well known as “Little Texas” in Germany. Others, say the first drilled oil well is the one in Louisiana, USA. Nevertheless, even with these confusing details, all these oil wells continue to serve its benefits up to now to answer the needs of mankind.

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Tags: Science

Gold is a chemical element, the most ductile and malleable of all pure metals in the world. It is found in grains or nuggets in rocks and other natural formations. Gold has a bright yellow color. The hue varies from one type of gold to another, as does its value. Arabian gold and Bangkok gold may be considered superior to Italian or Chinese gold.

Nothing on earth is more fascinating and desirable to humans than gold. Because gold occurs in an uncompounded form, it was probably the first metal ever discovered and used by man.

Discovery and Early Use of Gold

Gold occurs in various parts of the world. No single person discovered gold but there are many traces of its use by ancient peoples. One early reference to it was made by Tushratta, a king of Mitanni (now northern Syria) in 2600 BC. He remarked that there was more gold than dust in Egypt. Such abundance of gold especially in Nubia made Egypt a rich country. By 1500 BC the metal was being used as a means of exchange in international trade. Later in 1200 BC the Egyptians figured out how to beat gold into leaf and mix it with other metals to form alloys.

The Greeks were keener on gold’s monetary value than anything else. By 500 BC, this had led them seek out gold mines everywhere in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. In war, gold was among the most precious of the loot as when Alexander conquered Persia. Noblemen were buried with golden funeral masks, such as the Mask of Agamemnon recovered by archeologists.

The Romans also sought gold as they needed it to fund their military expeditions. One man took his greed too far. A member of the First Triumvirate, Crassus, invaded the Parthian Empire for his lust for gold. The Parthians defeated him at war and then gave him what he wanted – by pouring molten gold down his throat.

Symbolism of Gold

Gold has long been a symbol for divinity and royalty. Just as silver was associated with the moon, so gold was connected with the sun. If the sun was the king of the heavens, gold was the noblest of all metals on earth. In Greek mythology, gold was sacred to Apollo, the sun god. In alchemy and astrology, the glyph of the sun was circle with a dot in the center. The same was used to symbolize gold. Alchemists believed they could discover gold from lead through special operations. Others said gold symbolized the perfection of the human being.

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Tags: Elements, Science