Cultivating a Collective Past

Important Inventions of the Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period of cultural growth and a time of new ideas. It began as a cultural movement in Italy but then later spread to the rest of Europe. Many new inventions were created during the renaissance that we still use today almost every day! Some of the most important inventions are listed below:

Mechanical Clocks- The very first mechanical clock was invented sometime in the early 1300's. At first it had about an error of 10-15 minutes each day. It was later improved by Galileo's invention of the pendulum. The pendulum helped a lot with the constant movement of the hands and the bell of the clock and allowed for a much smaller area of error of only a few seconds each day.

Glasses- the invention of glasses could not have occurred without first the invention of clear glass. It began in Venetia where expert glassmakers experimented with different kinds and colors of glass until a crystal clear glass was created. Glasses were made by using the glass and adding slight concave or bends in the glass. At first not that many people used glasses, only the highly educated, noblemen, and churchmen; however, once the invention of the printing press came along in 1456 by Johannes Gutenberg, glasses became widely sought after.

Printing Press: As previously stated, Johannes Gutenberg created the first printing press in 1456 which used metal letters that were easily interchangeable. They were arranged in the correct order by hand and dipped in ink then pressed flat on the paper. 

Gunpowder: Gunpowder was very first invented in China at around c 850 A.D. It is unsure if gunpowder was also created in Europe separately during the 1300's or if it spread from China through trade. The invention of gunpowder completely changed how people fought. The use of cannons and later guns invented a new way of fighting between armies. A knight stood no chance against a cannon or a foot soldier with a gun.