China

Eight inventions of the ancient Chinese include paper money, gunpowder, papermaking, the compass, printing, the noodle, the abacus and the kite (No author, 2005). Of these, four that can be considered to be ingenious were the compass, gunpowder, paper money, and the noodle. This paper will take a closer look at those four, their invention and what these inventions have meant for society. All of these inventions have had deeper ramifications, as those initial ideas have been expanded upon, thus all four have made a lasting contribution to society, even today.

Gunpowder was invented in the 9th century by mixing sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter. It was apparently discovered by alchemists trying to create gold (Helmenstine, 2012). Gunpowder was the first explosive device, and although its usefulness was limited by the high level of smoke it produced, different mixes of ingredients could reduce the amount of smoke. From gunpowder, a...
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