Tag: social studies

The first steam engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712 in England. However, Newcomen's engine was inefficient and could only be used near coalmines, where coal was abundant and cheap enough to run the engine. If steam engines were to have wider uses, they needed to be improved. James Watt studied the Newcomen's steam engine and introduced refined steam engine which was more efficient and more powerful in 1765.

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by Ottoman Empire. It used to be the prime route for the Europe that allowed the trade of spice and other commodities from India and China. Its fall caused the loss in spice trade due to which the European sailors went on to discover an alternate sea route.

The invention of Mariner's compass was a significant one. It is an instrument meant to know directions. Its needle always points to the north.

A dynamo is a device that uses electromagnetism to create a direct current of electrical power. The dynamo was invented by Michael Faraday.

Cathay, the name by which North China was known in medieval Europe. The word is derived from Khitay (or Khitan), the name of seminomadic people who left southeastern Mongolia in the 10th-century CE to conquer part of Manchuria and northern China, which they held for about 200 years. By the time of Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongols had begun referring to North China as Kitai and South China as Mangi. Kitai is still the Russian word for China.

Portuguese explorer Prince Henry, also known as the Navigator, was the first European to methodically explore Africa and the oceanic route to the Indies. From his residence in the Algarve region of southern Portugal, he directed successive expeditions to circumnavigate Africa and reach India.

Prince Henry, a Portuguese made great efforts in this direction. Hence, he was known as Henry the Navigator. He started a school for navigators and encouraged extensive exploration.  The sailors were taught how to make use of Mariner's compass and the astrolabe. 

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by Ottoman Empire. It used to be the prime route for the Europe that allowed the trade of spice and other commodities from India and China. Its fall caused the loss in spice trade due to which the European sailors went on to discover an alternate sea route.

The Venetian traveler Marco Polo, as well as his father and uncle, traveled to China during the period of Mongol rule in the 13th century. Basically he was a merchant.