16th-century inventions
26 inventions and discoveries: year, what it is, what it evolved from and what it led to.
| Year | Invention | What it is | Evolved from | Led to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1501 | Music printing | Printing music with movable type (Petrucci). | ||
| 1510 | Pocket watch | A portable spring-driven watch; early examples are linked to Peter Henlein. | Marine chronometer, Wristwatch | |
| 1510 | Carillon | A set of bells with a keyboard. | ||
| 1521 | Musket | A muzzle-loading gun. | Hand cannon | Rifle |
| 1540 | Diethyl ether | The first general anaesthetic. | ||
| 1543 | Heliocentric system | The Earth goes around the Sun (Copernicus). | Kepler’s laws | |
| 1545 | Universal joint | A joint that transmits rotation between shafts at an angle (Cardano, Hooke). | CV joint | |
| 1550 | Galleon | A large multi-deck sailing ship. | Caravel | Clipper |
| 1550 | Violin | A bowed string instrument. | ||
| 1550 | Wagonway | Mine roads with wooden rails. | Railway track | |
| 1565 | Graphite | A form of carbon; pencil leads, a moderator, a battery anode. | Graphene | |
| 1565 | Pencil Nicolas-Jacques Conté | A graphite rod in a casing. | Mechanical pencil | |
| 1569 | Mercator projection Gerardus Mercator | A map projection that preserves angles for navigation. | ||
| 1571 | Theodolite | A surveying angle instrument. | ||
| 1574 | Chip log | A device for measuring a ship’s speed (a log line with knots). | ||
| 1589 | Knitting machine William Lee | Lee’s stocking frame. | ||
| 1590 | Rolling mill | Rolls that squeeze metal into sheet and sections. | ||
| 1590 | Microscope Zaccarias Janssen, Hans Janssen | An optical instrument for looking at small objects (Janssen, Leeuwenhoek). | Glasses, Magnifying glass | Electron microscope |
| 1594 | Davis quadrant John Davis | An angle gauge that let the navigator avoid looking at the Sun. | Jacob’s staff | Octant |
| 1596 | Flush toilet | A toilet with a flush (Harington; Cumming’s S-trap, 1775). | ||
| 1600 | Coal mine | Underground coal mining. | ||
| 1600 | Wallet | A case for money. | ||
| 1600 | Stagecoach | A multi-seat horse-drawn coach. | Carriage | |
| 1600 | Electroscope | A charge indicator (Gilbert). | ||
| 1600 | Rocking horse | A toy on curved rockers. | ||
| 1600 | Yacht | A sailing or motor vessel for leisure. |