THE AMERICAS
ca 8 500 North America make stone arrowheads.
ca 8 000 The Folsom people living on eastern side of the Rocky Mountains
develop sophistical tools.
ca 6 000 Pottery is made in South Africa
ca 2 500 People in the Arctic make flint tools
ca 1750 Peruvians build a long canal to irrigate their crops
ca 1200 Fishermen in Peru makes rafts and boats from reeds
ca 1200 Olmec sculptors carve figurines and
Module 2 giant human heads.
I. Lesson 2: Science, Technology and Society: World History
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:
1. Explain the historical timeline of science and technology;
2. Analyze the difference between the different periods involved in the different periods involved in the
development of Science and Technology; and
3. Synthesize and create their own definition of Science and Technology based on the discussion on
this unit.
II. PRETEST
III. CONTENT
Science and technology is evident since the beginning of time. New knowledge made it possible to create
new things that would help people improve their everyday living. Development in the field of science has
helped human to have a better life while advancement in technology made the lives of the people much easier
by developing new machines that helped their way of living effortless.
In combination, science and technology transforms the lives of humans. It helps provide growth in the field
of medicine, transportation, engineering and even entertainment that until today people are benefiting from.
The development of science and technology has gone so far, tracing how it all began would give us a
better idea on how it has developed since then and what are the significant changes that has happened
throughout time. By looking back at the history of science and technology, we will be able to determine it
progression.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN DIFFERENT PERIODS
● ANCIENT PERIOD (ca. 3500 B.C -500 A.D.)
Accumulation of knowledge and passing it from generation to generation has begun when the modern
human evolved from their hominid ancestors. They used stone as tools, and then learned how to shape stone
to make more efficient tools. As the tools improved, so people were able to use them to fashion weapons and
other artifacts from bone, antler, and wood. They also learned how to capture fire from natural sources such
as wild fires, and later to make fire for themselves by using the heat generated by friction or sparks from
stones, or by concentrating the sun’s heat.
Here are some of the development in science and technology during the ancient period:
EUROPE
ca 750 000 Fire used by Homo erectus.
ca 45 000 Stone-headed spears are used in Europe
ca 20 000 The wooden bow and arrow are used in Spain
and Saharan Africa People in Southern Europe use sewing
needles made from bone.
ca 2000 The Minoans build palaces in Crete.
ca 1000 Ironworking is introduced in Greece.
ca 1000 Etruscan craftsmen make false teeth from gold
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AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
ca 1 000 000 Homo erectus uses stone tools.
ca 1 000 000 Homo erectus begin chipping flakes off stones to sharpen tools
ca 1 000 000 Homo erectus uses antlers to create tools for cutting and drilling
ca 15 000 In Africa, bone harpoons (barbed spears) are used for fishing
ca 10 000 People in Palestine build houses from sun-dried bricks
ca 7500 Clay tokens are used for record keeping in Mesopotamia.
ca 6000 The world’s first known city is built by the people of Catal Huyuk in
Anatolia (modern Turkey)
ca 4236 Ancient Egypt devise a 365-day calendar
ca ASIA
3500 AND
The wheel is invented in Mesopotamia
OCEANIA
caca3100 Egyptians begin using clayhieroglyphics
11 000 The earliest-known pots are made in Japan
caca3000
5200 People in Iran make wine 360-day calendar
The Sumerians introduce a
caca3000
4000Egyptians
Bronze is dam the Garawi River
first made in Thailand
cca2630 Egyptians begin building inpyramids
3500 The plows is invented both China and Mesopotamia
caca2600 Mesopotamia make glass
3000 Boats in China are equipped with anchors
caca2300
2950Babylonian astronomers study comet
A Lunar calendar is developed in China.
caca2300 The earliest known maps are produces in Mesopotamia
2500 Clay pipes are used as drains in Pakistan
caca2000
2500Babylonian mathematicians
begin usingintroduce a positional number system
Chinese doctors acupuncture
caca2000
2296Medicine
Chinese becomes an important
record thescience
sightinginofSyria and Babylon
astronomers a comet
caca1800
1361Mesopotamian mathematicians
record adiscover the “Pythagorean Theorem”
Chinese astronomer’s solar eclipse
caca1750
1000Babylonian astronomers compile lists oforplanets
paper and stars
The Chinese begin writing on bamboo made from bark
caca1550 Egyptians are using about 700 drugs and medications
1000 The Hindu calendar of 360 days is introduced in India.
caca1350 The Chinese
symptoms useof natural
leprosygas are ofdescribed
850 The lighting in Egyptian text
ca 1200 The Egyptians dig a canal to join the Nile River to the Red Sea.
ca 1000 The Phoenician develop an alphabet
ca 900 Farmers in Mesopotamia use an irrigation system to water crops.
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MEDIEVAL PERIOD (ca. 500-1500)
The Medieval Period also known as “Dark Ages” is considered to be one of the creative periods in history
of human and said to be the start of the first industrial revolution. The term “Dark Ages” came up because there are
few written records remained from the said era. There is very little evidence that will support that there was progress
in the society during the periods 500 to 1500.
In the years immediately after the fall of Rome, there was a period of readjustment, where medieval
society was more concerned with keeping peace and empire building that nurturing centers of learning. Despite this,
Charlemagne (742-814) a medieval emperor who ruled Western Europe in 800-814, tried to establish a scholastic
tradition. The later Middle Ages (around 1250-1500 A.D) saw advancements in the philosophy of science and the
refinement of the scientific method. Far from being a backwards-medieval society, overshadowed by Islam and
Byzantium, scholasticism acted as a nucleus for the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.
This was the time for discovering great new inventions in science and technology. There was greater
advancement in technology and adaptation of Eastern technologies in the West, including the invention of vertical
windmills, spectacles, mechanical clocks, greatly improved water mills, building techniques like the Gothic style, and
three-field crop rotation.
One of the greatest inventions during the Middle Ages was the printing press of Johannes Gutenberg (ca.
1395-1468) in the 15th century. It was Gutenberg who made printing mechanized. The invention of the printing press
itself obviously owed much to the medieval paper press, in turn modeled after the ancient wine-and-olive press of
the Mediterranean area. A long handle was used to turn a heavy wooden screw, exerting downward pressure
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against the paper, which was laid over the type mounted on a wooden platen. In its essentials, the wooden press
reigned supreme for more than 300 years, with a hardly varying rate of 250 sheets per hour printed on one side.
RENAISSANCE PERIOD (14TH TO 17TH CENTURY)
The term Renaissance is used to refer to the period of rebirths as age of preparation for the 17 th century
scientific developments and achievements. One of the greatest achievements in Western Europe during this period
was the technology of printing books and other documents which helped the rapid spread of knowledge and
information as well as the prevention of culture. The technology of the Chinese in preparing printed materials was
followed and used by the Muslims and later introduced in Europe.
Renaissance connects the period of Middle Ages to modern history. It is closely connected with Italy,
where it began in the 14 th century, although some European countries also went into same cultural changes and
phenomena.
Many historians prefer to think of the Renaissance as primarily an intellectual and cultural movement
rather than a historical period. Robert Wilde, U.K. based historian born on April 30, 1977 said that interpreting the
Renaissance as a time period through convenient for historians, “masks the long roots of the Renaissance”.
According to Wilde in his interview with [Link], the demand for perfect reproductions of texts and
the renewed focus on studying them helped trigger one of the biggest discoveries in the human history: printing with
movable type. It allowed Bibles, secular books, printed music and more to be made in larger amounts and reach
more people. On the other hand, people and a lot of steps were involved. Wood printing first came to the West form
China in 1250-1350, papermaking originated from China has reached 12 th century Spain and the new printer’s ink
originated from Flemish oil painting. In Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg made final steps in wooden press by casting a
metal type and locking into it. The inventions spread fast, reaching European countries from 1467-1483. By 1500,
Europe had already produced six million copies of book. Without printing press, communications revolution would
not happen it would not transform the condition of life. The communications revolution greatly made an impact in
human opportunities for enlightenment and pleasure and created unimaginable possibilities for manipulation and
other control on the other. The consideration of these contradictory effects may shield us against a ready
acceptance of triumphalist conceptions of the Renaissance or historical change in general.
Also, Polish Mathematician and astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) made one of science’s
greatest achievement. He presented the theory of heliocentric where he said that the sun is the center of the solar
system instead of the earth. It was a major breakthrough in the history of science, though the Catholic Church
banned Copernicus’ book.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was also a major Renaissance scientist persecuted for his scientific
experiments. Galileo improved the telescope, discovered new celestial bodies, and found support for a heliocentric
solar system. He conducted motion experiments on pendulums and falling objects that paved the way for Isaac
Newton’s (1643-1727) discoveries about gravity.
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (18TH CENTURY)
People rely on their hands in doing labor works even before the machines have emerged after a century
that significantly increases of production output. The phenomenal process in the transfer of doing work by human
hands and feet to the use of machines was called The Industrial Revolution.
It began in Great Britain and spread across, Europe, America and even Asia from 1760 and 1840. It was a
fundamental change in the way goods were produced and altered the way people lived. The Industrial Revolution
was a time of scientific and technological advancement which spanned the period during late 18 th century to early
19th century. Partly through good fortune and partly though conscious effort, Britain by the early 18 th century came to
possess the combination of social needs and social resources that provided the necessary preconditions for a
commercially successful innovation and a social system capable of sustaining and institutionalizing the processes of
rapid technological change.
One of the major setback of the Industrial Revolution was skilled workers were set aside because
operation of new machines was used. The companies also hired women and children increasingly which cost lower
than of the skilled workers. Manual/physical labor was changed into machine-operated devices, even tradesperson
replaced the craftsmen and the applied scientists replaced the amateur inventors.
Aside from these, three important technologies formed the foundations of the first Industrial Revolution
namely, iron production, stem engine and textiles.
The steam engines have been around but later on improved by Scottish James Watt (1736-1819) and
other investors after 1778. It was used to run machines and made a major contribution to the first Industrial
Revolution. The steam-powered machine was improved gradually and was adapted for many uses the use of more
complex machinery was made possible. The development and refinement of machine tools by British engineers
Henry Maudslay (1771-1831) and Joseph Whitworth (1803-1887) played a key and crucial part in the later phase of
the first Industrial revolution as machine tool technology enabled standardized manufacturing machines to be
fabricated.
Some of the greatest inventions were introduced by American scientist, such as during the period was
Robert Fulton’s (1765-1831) steamboat that used one of Watt’s engines. Thomas Edison (1847-1931) who invented
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the light bulb. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) who invented the telephone. English engineer George
Stephenson (1781-1848) developed the first steam-powered locomotive.
IN THE 19TH CENTURY
In the 19th, witnessed the rise of modern industry, from agriculture to industrial manufacturing and
technology-intensive services. An unending stream of new products turned out by factories employing radically new
technologies, skills, and organization drove this emerging modern world.
Based on the Gregorian calendar, 19 th century lasted from 1801-1990. The invention of useable electricity,
steel and petroleum products led into a second Industrial Revolution during the 19 th century. This century was
considered to be the age of machine tools. Tools were made for tools: machine were made for other parts of
another machine:
During the 19th century, science also made great progress:
● John Dalton (1766-1844) published his atomic theory in 1803. Dalton also studied color blindness.
● Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907) formulated the Periodic Table
● Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) formulated the law of the Conversion of Energy in 1874. In
1851, he invented the ophthalmoscope.
In the late 19th century, physics made great strides.
● James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) showed that light is an electromagnetic wave in 1873 and was
later on proved by Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) in 1888.
● Henry Becquerel (1852-1908) discovered radioactivity in 1896
● Marie Curie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906) discovered radium in 1898
● Joseph Thomson discovered the electron in 1897.
In the 19th century, people mastered electricity.
● Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) discovered that electric current in a wire caused a nearby
compass needle to move in 1819.
● Michael Faraday (1791-1867) showed that a magnet can produce electricity and in 1831 he invented
the dynamo.
● Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872) invented the electric telegraph in 1837.
In the 19th century, machines in factories were usually operated by steam engines. At the end of the 19 th
century, they began to convert to electricity. In the mid-19 th century, railways revolutionized travelling and made
travel much faster. Steam locomotives pulled the carriages.
● Karl Benson (1844-1929) and Gottlien Daimler (1834-1900) made the first cars in 1855 and 1886.]
Meanwhile, the steamship revolutionized travelling at ea. By 1815, steamships were crossing the English
Channel. Furthermore, it took several weeks to cross the Atlantic. Then in 1838, a steamship called the Sirius made
the journey across the Atlantic in 19 days. However, steam did not completely replace sail until the end of the 19 th
century when the steam turbine was used on ships.
IN THE 20TH CENTURY
It is not skeptical that the 20th century is one of the most noticeable in the history of human for its incomparable
technological advances and scientific discoveries. There were a lot of new technologies made and science
discoveries.
Technology was rapidly developed in the 20 th century. With the use of scientific methods and funding for
research, it helped achieve the advancement of modern science and technology. With the ascencion of new
technology, it enhanced the communication and transportation system of humans and brought it closer to people.
Military research and development brought about the rise of electronic computing and jet engines. Radio and
telephony enriched greatly and reached a wider population of users, through near universal access was impossible
until mobile phones become affordable for the people in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The relationship between science and technology has become more problematic on several levels in the 20 th
century. In the face of an ever-growing complexity, technology has become more scientific and the natural sciences
more technological as the social scientific concepts of “techno science” indicates. At the same time, many
technological innovations since the 1970s have only slowly resulted in job-creating new products.
Some of the greatest technological advancement during this period was the creation of personal computer. In
1971, Intel develop a microprocessor that made computer smaller, easier to use and cheaper which replaced the
early computers that were bulky and had a tube-powered behemoth. Computer has become a dominant tool in the
global economy and as a necessity in many homes that until today we greatly rely on them. Steve Jobs (1955-
2011) and Steve Wozniak (1950) have redefined the meaning of computer by introducing Apple in 1976. While in
connection with the invention of personal computers, the Internet was also created in 1969 for defense- related
research known as ARPANet or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. It helped us in terms of global
communication, gathering information through searching, conducting business matters and on our everyday affairs
through the World Wide Web which was created in 1989.
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Another one is the automobile or cars, which were considered to be one of the most revolutionary technological
advancements in the century. Exploitation of the said technology was made possible because of Henry Ford (1863-
1947) by devising a system of mass production for the Model T in 1908. It made cars affordable to people and also
made a dramatic change in the society. Using automobiles as a form of transportation has connected people
together including those in the rural areas to urban centers.
One of the breakthroughs during the century was the invention of Artificial Intelligence that has the capacity for
a computer to perform humanlike intellectual processes and it was later on developed during the 1940’s. Modern
A.I. features specially designed computers that can “think” similarly to humans. A.I. is also being used to assist
doctors in making medical diagnoses. While there are no any program or computer existing today that can match
the man’s full intellectual capacity.
IV. LEARNING ACTIVITY
Activity:
1. In what period would you like to time travel to make your own invention? Explain your answer.
2. Do you think religion will play a big role in the progression of science and technology? Explain
your answer.
3. What do you think are the negative effects of science and technological advancement?
V. ASSESMENT
GROUP ACTIVITY!
Direction: Make a presentation about the topic given. Present and choose 5 greatest inventions of
the historical timeline of science and technology. You will present this next meeting!
G1- Ancient
G2-Medieval
G3-Renaissance
G4-Industrial Revolution,
G5-19th century and 20th century
Prepared and Submitted by:
BRIAN M. ELAYDO
Assistant Professor I
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