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History of science and civilization
Dr. Jay Maron

Technology
Science
Civilization
War
Miscellaneous

Primary inventions

The invention of the steam engine 1712 launched many secondary inventions, such as the gasoline engine in 1864. Once the steam engine was discovered, engineers got busy inventing new engines, and the gasoline engine was inevitable.

We can distinguish between primary inventions and secondary inventions, and we can identify history's most important primary inventions. In the plot, the bottom of each column is a primary invention and the entries above it are secondary inventions.

For each primary invention we can ask: Could it have happened earlier? For all of them, the answer is yes. One can also ask if the secondary inventions could have happened earlier, and the answer is usually yes. It doesn't appear that aliens are helping human technology.


Ancient metallurgy

Stone
Copper
Bronze
Iron
Carbon

Gold and silver were known since antiquity because they occur naturally in pure form. Gold mining started in 6000 BCE and silver smelting started in 4000 BCE.

Iron can occasionally be found as iron meteorites.

Gold nugget
Silver nugget
Iron meteorite

Copper was discovered around 7500 BCE by smelting copper minerals in a wood fire. Around 3200 BCE it was found that copper is strenghened by tin, and this is bronze. Around 2000 BCE it was found that copper is also strengthed by zinc, and this is brass.

The earliest metals were smeltable with a wood fire and they consist of copper, lead, silver, tin, zinc, and mercury. They come from the following minerals:

Lead. Galena. PbS
Copper. Chalcocite. Cu2S
Silver. Acanthite. Ag2S
Tin. Cassiterite. SnO2
Zinc. Sphalerite. ZnS
Mercury. Cinnabar. HgS

The next metal to be discovered was iron (c. 1200 BC), which requires a bellows-fed coal fire to smelt.

Iron. Hematite. Fe2O3
Iron. Pyrite. FeS2

No new metals were discovered until cobalt in 1735. Once cobalt was discovered, it was realized that new minerals may have new metals, and the race was on to find new minerals. This gave nickel, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten.

Cobalt. Cobaltite. CoAsS
Nickel. Millerite. NiS
Chromium. Chromite. FeCr2O4
Manganese. Pyrolusite. MnO2
Molybdenum. Molybdenite. MoS2
Tungsten. Wolframite. FeWO4

Chromium is lighter and stronger than steel and was discovered in 1797. It satisfies the properties of mithril from "Lord of the Rings" and Valyrian steel from "Game of Thrones". There's no reason chromium couldn't have been discovered earlier.

Coal smelting can't produce the metals lighter than chromium. These need electrolysis. The battery was invented in 1799, enabling electrolysis, and the lighter metals were discovered shortly after. These include aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and beryllium. Once you have

Aluminum. Bauxite. Al(OH)3 and AlO(OH)
Mangesium. Magnesite. MgCO3
Titanium. Rutile. TiO2
Beryllium. Beryl. Be3Al2(SiO3)6

Carbon fiber eclipses metals. The present age could be called the carbon age. The carbon age became mature in 1987 when Jimmy Connors switched from a wood to a carbon racket.

The plot shows the strength of materials.

Alloys can be much stronger than pure metals.

Wood rivals alloys for strength.


Currency

Gold was the densest element known until the discovery of platinun in 1735. It was useful as an uncounterfeitable currency until the discovery of tungsten in 1783, which has the same density as gold. Today, we could use iridium, platinum, or rhenium as an uncounterfeitable currency.


Currency

In ancient times, gold had value as a currency because it's uncounterfeitable. Gold had a density far larger than any other known metal.

Silver was counterfeitable because lead has a higher density and it's cheaper.

Tungsten has the same density as gold, and tungsten was discovered in 1783. From this point on, gold was counterfeitable.

Today, you could use iridium as an uncounterfeitable currency. All elements more dense than iridium are more expensive than iridium. Rhenium and tungsten also have this virtue.


Engines

Otto 4-stroke
Stirling
Turbine

A steam engine is a "heat engine", a device for turning heat into mechanical energy. A heat engine enables one to tap the vast energy in trees for mechanical energy. The steam engine was the first heat engine, and trains followed shortly after.

The invention of the steam engine inspired people to invent new kinds of engines, and there followed the invention of the Sterling engine, the gasoline engine, and the turbine.

The most important quality of an engine is power/mass, and the value increases with time. Flight became possible when engines reached a power/mass of 100 Watts/kg.

Year   Type              Power/Mass
                          Watt/kg

1712   Steam                    .5    Newcomen
1776   Steam                   2      Watt
1829   Steam                   5      Stephenson

1864   Gasoline, Otto         10      Otto
1892   Gasoline, Diesel        5      Diesel
1903   Gasoline              116      Wright aircraft engine
1929   Gasoline, Wankel      320      Wankel
1914   Gasoline              426      WW1 Mercedes D.II aircraft engine
1939   Gasoline             1429      WW2 Japanese Zero engine
2020   Gasoline             8000      Modern Ferrari engine

1816   Stirling                6      Stirling
1821   Electric motor                 Faraday
1884   Turbine, "reaction"    50      Parsons.   Driven by pressure
1887   Turbine, "impulse"             de Laval.  Driven by gas kinetic energy
1888   de Laval nozzle                de Laval.  Converts hot subsonic gas into supersonic gas.
1948   Ramjet                         Martin
1942   Rocket, solid                  Parsons
1962   Turbofan

Scientists

Pythagoras
Galileo
Newton
Euler
Gauss
Maxwell
Einstein


History of physics

Modern mathematics and physics was launched when Simon Stevin popularized decimal numbers in Europe. Cartesian geometry and the calculus followed shortly after. Mathematics has been on a roll ever since.

Decimal numbers enable precise calculation, which is essential for science. Shortly after decimal numbers were popularized, the logarithm and the slide rule were invented. The slide rule enables fast multiplication and division.

1585  Stevin popularizes decimal numbers in Europe
1614  Napier develops logarithm tables
1622  Oughtred develops the slide rule
1604  Galileo publishes the mathematical description of acceleration.
1637  Cartesian geometry published by Fermat and Descartes.
1684  Leibniz publishes the calculus
1687  Newton publishes the Principia Mathematica, which contained the calculus,
      the laws of motion (F=MA), and a proof that planets orbit as ellipses.

Telescopes

Galileo's telescope
Replica of Newton's telescope
Herschel 1.2 meter reflector
Herschel 1.2 meter reflector
Yerkes 1 meter refractor

Hale 1.5 meter
Hooker 2.5 meter
Palomar 5 meter
Palomar
Keck 10 meter

Keck 10 meter
Hubble 2.4 meter
Webb 5 meter
30 Meter Telescope

Telescope            Diameter  Resolution  Year
                     (meters)  (arcsecond)

Human eye                 .005     60
Lippershey's telescope     ?        ?       1608   First telescope.  Refractor
Galileo's telescope #1    .015      7       1609   Refractor
Galileo's telescope #3    .038      2.1     1620   Refractor
Newton's telescope        .033      2.5     1668   First reflecting telescope
10 cm telescope           .1         .5            Seeing limit
Herschel telescope       1.20        .5     1789   Reflector
Yerkes refractor         1.02        .5     1897   Refractor.  End of refractor age
Hale 60-inch             1.52        .5     1908   Mount Wilson observatory
Hooker 100-inch          2.54        .5     1917   Mount Wilson observatory
Hale 200-inch            5.08        .5     1948   Palomar Observatory
Keck                    10           .04    1993   Mauna Kea Observatory
Hubble                   2.4         .04    1990   Space.  Earth orbit
Webb Space Telescope     6.5         .02    2022   Space.  L2 Lagrange point
Thirty Meter Telescope  30           .015      ?   Mauna Kea Observatory
Extremely Large Tele.   39.3         .005      ?   Chile

Modern ground telescopes have adaptive optics to transcend the seeing limit.


Supercomputing

Cray-1, built in 1976
Kraken Supercomputer, built in 2009

A modern smartwatch is faster than a 1990 Cray supercomputer.

Desktop gaming is driven by GFlops/$.

Mobile gaming is driven by GFlops/Watt and by battery energy/mass.

Computer speed per dollar  =  100  GFlop/$         (GPU)
Computer speed per power   =  400  GFlop/Watt      (GPU)
Battery energy per mass    = 1200  kJoules/kg
Battery  power per mass    = 1000  Watt/kg

Brain vs. Supercomputer

We can define a measure of speed for a parallel computer.

CPU clock speed         = F           Operations/second (Hertz)
Number of parallel CPUs = N
Parallel speed          = V = F N     Operations/second (Hertz)

For a brain, "N" is the number of synapses and "F" is the inverse of the synapse time.

            Clock freq   Parallel elements    Speed
               Hertz         billions       Ops/second

Computer     40000000000          .025       2⋅1017
Brain                250    100000           2⋅1016

A computer has a higher clock speed than a brain but it has fewer parallel elements than a brain. The parallel speeds of a brain and a computer have the same magnitude. In the future, computers will be faster than brains.

The clock time of a brain is the chemical synapse time plus the time it takes a signal to cross the brain.

Chemical synapse time              =  Ts           = .002  seconds
Time for signal to cross the brain =  Tc           = .002  seconds
Brain cycle time                   =  T  = Ts + Tc = .004  seconds
Brain clock speed                  =  F  = 1/T     =  250  Hertz

Supercomputing timeline

    Year
c. -2400  Abacus invented by the Babylonians
c.   200  Logarithms developed in Ancient India
c.   600  Brahmagupta develops a place-value number system
c.  1400  Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics in South India invents the
          floating point number system.
    1585  Stevin popularizes decimal numbers in Europe
    1614  Napier develops logarithm tables
    1622  Oughtred develops the slide rule
    1642  Pascal builds a mechanical calculator
    1671  Leibniz builds a mechanical calculator
    1910  Vacuum tube invented
    1646  ENIAC built.  17468 vacuum tubes.  5000 additions per second.
    1947  Transistor invented
    1954  Cobol compiler
    1957  Fortran compiler

Games

The table gives the year that a computer eclipsed the world champion.

            Year    World Champion      Year the game was invented

Checkers    1990    Alexei Chizhov      1243
Chess       2006    Vladimir Kramnik     650
Go          2016    Lee Sedol           -400
Shogi       2017    Yoshiharu Habu      1058

Modern chemistry and the discovery of elements

Prior to 1800, metals were obtained by smelting minerals, and the known metals were gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, zinc, mercury, cobalt, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten. Elements to the left of chromium titanium and scandium cant's be obtained by smelting, and neither can aluminum, magnesium, and beryllium. They require electrolysis, which was enabled by Volta's invention of the battery in 1799.

Prior to 1800, few elements were known in pure form. Electrolyis enabled the isolation of most of the rest of the elements. The periodic table then became obvious and was discovered by Mendeleev 1871. The battery launched modern chemistry, and the battery could potentially have been invented much earlier.

Electrolysis enabled the isolation of sodium and potassium in 1807, and these were used to smelt metals that can't be smelted with carbon.

         Discovery   Method of             Source
          (year)     discovery

Carbon     Ancient   Naturally occuring
Gold       Ancient   Naturally occuring
Silver     Ancient   Naturally occuring
Sulfur     Ancient   Naturally occuring
Lead         -6500   Smelt with carbon     Galena       PbS
Copper       -5000   Smelt with carbon     Chalcocite   Cu2S
Bronze (As)  -4200   Copper + Arsenic      Realgar      As4S4
Tin          -3200   Smelt with carbon     Calamine     ZnCO3
Bronze (Sn)  -3200   Copper + Tin
Brass        -2000   Copper + Zinc         Sphalerite   ZnS
Mercury      -2000   Heat the sulfide      Cinnabar     HgS
Iron         -1200   Smelt with carbon     Hematite     Fe2O3
Arsenic       1250   Heat the sulfide      Orpiment     As2S3
Zinc          1300   Smelt with wool       Calamine     ZnCO3 (smithsonite) & Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O (hemimorphite)
Antimony      1540   Smelt with iron       Stibnite     Sb2S3
Phosphorus    1669   Heat NaPO3 Excrement
Cobalt        1735   Smelt with carbon     Cobaltite    CoAsS
Platinum      1735   Naturally occuring
Nickel        1751   Smelt with carbon     Nickeline    NiAs
Bismuth       1753   Isolated from lead
Hydrogen      1766   Hot iron + steam      Water
Oxygen        1771   Heat HgO
Nitrogen      1772   Isolated from air
Manganese     1774   Smelt with carbon     Pyrolusite   MnO2
Molybdenum    1781   Smelt with carbon     Molybdenite  MoS2
Tungsten      1783   Smelt with carbon     Wolframite   (Fe,Mn)WO4
Chromium      1797   Smelt with carbon     Crocoite     PbCrO4
Palladium     1802   Isolated from Pt
Osmium        1803   Isolated from Pt
Iridium       1803   Isolated from Pt
Rhodium       1804   Isolated from Pt
Sodium        1807   Electrolysis
Potassium     1807   Electrolysis
Magnesium     1808   Electrolysis          Magnesia     MgCO3
Cadmium       1817   Isolated from zinc
Lithium       1821   Electrolysis of LiO2  Petalite     LiAlSi4O10
Zirconium     1824   Smelt with potassium  Zircon       ZrSiO4
Aluminum      1827   Smelt with potassium
Silicon       1823   Smelt with potassium
Beryllium     1828   Smelt with potassium  Beryl        Be3Al2Si6O18
Thorium       1929   Smelt with potassium  Gadolinite   (Ce,La,Nd,Y)2FeBe2Si2O10
Vanadium      1831   Smelt VCl2 with H2    Vanadinite   Pb5(VO4)3Cl
Uranium       1841   Smelt with potassium  Uranite      UO2
Ruthenium     1844   Isolated from Pt
Tantalum      1864   Smelt with hydrogen   Tantalite    [(Fe,Mn)Ta2O6]
Niobium       1864   Smelt with hydrogen   Tantalite    [(Fe,Mn)Ta2O6]
Fluorine      1886   Electrolysis
Helium        1895   From uranium ore
Titanium      1910   Smelt with sodium     Ilmenite     FeTiO3
Hafnium       1924   Isolated from zirconium
Rhenium       1928   Isolated from Pt
Scandium      1937   Electrolysis          Gadolinite   FeTiO3

History of mineralogy

 -384  -322   Aristotle. Wrote "Meteorology"
 -370  -285   Theophrastus. Wrote "De Mineralibus"
         77   Pliny the Elder publishes "Natural History"
  973  1050   Al Biruni. Published "Gems"
       1546   Georgius Agricola publishes "On the Nature of Rocks"
       1556   Georgius Agricola publishes "On Metals"
       1609   de Boodt publishes a catalog of minerals
       1669   Brand: Discovery of phosphorus
       1714   John Woodward publishes "Naturalis historia telluris illustrata & aucta", a mineral catalog
       1735   Brandt: Discovery of cobalt
       1777   Lavoisier: Discovery of sulfur
       1778   Lavoisier: Discovery of oxygen and prediction of silicon
       1783   Lavoisier: Discovery of hydrogen
       1784   T. Olof Bergman publishes "Manuel du mineralogiste, ou sciagraphie du regne mineral",
              and founds analytical chemistry
       1778   Lavoisier: Discovery of oxygen
       1801   Rene Just Huay publishes "Traite de Mineralogie", founding crystallography
       1811   Avogadro publishes "Avogadro's law"
       1860   The Karlsruhe Congress publishes a table of atomic weights
       1869   Mendeleev publishes the periodic table

Ancient units

Defining a unit requires a standard reference. This is easy with time because you can use the duration of a day. For length and mass, it's not easy to define a standard reference. A precise reference for length and mass wasn't possible until the measurement of the size of an atom in 1908.

Water can be used as a standard reference for density, which allows one to connect the units of length and mass.

Density = Mass / Length3

In ancient times, length and mass could be measured precisely but time could not. It was not until the invention of spring clocks in 1460 that time could be measured precisely.

English units have the virtue of being base 2. The ideal base for mathematics is 16 because it's instantly interconvertible with base 2 and 4. Base 10 is a debacle because of the awkward prime factor "5", and the aliens are mocking us for it.

The English volume units are:

Tablespoon=   4 drams   =  3 teaspoons
Ounce     =   8 drams
Jack      =   2 ounces
Gill      =   4 ounces
Cup       =   8 ounces
Pint      =  16 ounces  =  1 pound of water
Quart     =   2 pints
Pottle    =   4 pints
Gallon    =   8 pints
Peck      =   2 gallons
Kenning   =   4 gallons
Bushel    =   8 gallons
Strike    =  16 gallons
Coomb     =  32 gallons
Seam      =  64 gallons
Barrel    =31.5 gallons
Hogshead  =   2 barrels
Butt      =   4 barrels
Tun       =   8 barrels = 2016 pounds of water = 914 kg = .914 metric tons

Egyptian units were base 2. Digits were subdivided by factors of 1/2, 1/4, etc.

digit                  = 3/4  inch
palm    =    4  digits =   3  inch
foot    =    4  palms  =  12  inch
cubit   =    6  palms  =  18  inch

rod                  = 16.5  feet
furlong =  40  rods  =  660  feet
mile    = 320  rods  = 5280  feet  =  8 furlongs
acre    = 160  rod2
Stadion              =  600  feet

An acre is the amount of land that can be plowed by an ox in one day.

Mesopotamian mass units were base 60:

Grain                    =   .047 gram
Shekel  =  180 grains    =  8.4   gram
Mina    =   60 shekels   =504     gram
Talent  =   60 Minas     = 30.2   kg

Metric units were adopted in 1799.


Timeline of agriculture

World population hinges on agricultural technology.

Year
  -11000   Pigs and sheep domesticated               Fertile crescent
   -9500   First crops                               Fertile crescent
   -8500   Cattle domesticated                       India and Turkey
   -6200   Rice cultivation                          China
   -4500   Wheel
   -4000   Beadmaking discovered, using yeast        Egypt
   -3500   First crops in the Americas
   -3000   Wine, beer, cheese
   -1900   House-drawn chariots                      Central Asia
   -1700   Wind-powered machines                     Babylon
   -1500   Seed drill                                Babylon
     600   Alcohol distillation
     900   3-field system. One field is fallow
    1492    Columbia exchange. Corn and potatoes introduced to Europe
            Guano fertilizer introduced
    1701    Seed drill of Jethro Tull
    1720    4-field system. Wheat, clover (nitrogen fixation), turnips (deep roots), barley
    1780    Breeding of livestock                     England
    1784    Threshing machine, for separating seeds from hulls
    1807    Potassium discovered. Proved to be a component of wood ash. Humphrey Davy
    1809    Canned food
    1842    Phosphate fertilizer
    1866    Mendel publishes "Mendelian genetics"
    1871    Pasteurization                            Louis Pasteur
    1895    Refrigeration
    1901    Gasoline tractor                          America
    1913    Haber process for producing ammonia

Explosives

Gunpowder and explosives are usually based on the nitrate ion NO3-. Early gunpowder used potassium nitrate KNO3, which is known as saltpeter.

Nitrate

An explosive requires high oxygen density. Atmospheric oxygen is way too sparse to support an explosion.

The oxygen also has to be in a high-energy state. In standard oxides such as H2O or SiO2, the oxygen is fully oxidized and the oxygen is in a low-energy state. The magic molecule is nitrate, NO3-, which has oxygen in a high-energy state. The nitrogen is also in a high-energy state.

In ancient times, nitrate was made by heating urine.

Gunpowder contains nitrate for oxygen, and sulfur for fast burning. It also contains pure carbon (charcoal) to react with oxygen. An oversimplified formula for gunpowder is:

2 KNO3 + S + 3 C  →  K2S + N2 + 3 CO2.

Energy is produced by:

(*) Oxygen bonds to carbon to yield energy.
(*) Nitrogen atoms bond to yield energy
(*) Sulfer reacts with potassium to yield energy

~808       Qing Xuzi publishes a formula resembling gunpower, consisting of
           6 parts sulfur, 6 parts saltpeter, and 1 part birthwort herb (for carbon).
~850       Incendiary property of gunpower discovered
1132       "Fire lances" used in the siege of De'an, China
1241       Mongols use firearms at the Battle of Mohi, Hungary
1338       Battle of Arnemuiden.  First naval battle involving cannons.
           The English had 3.
1346       Cannons used in the Siege of Calais and the Battle of Crecy
1540       Biringuccio publishes "De la pirotechnia", giving recipes for gunpowder
1610       First flintlock rifle
1774       Lavoisier appointed to develop the French gunpowder program.  By 1788
           French gunpowder was the best in the world.
1884       Vieille invents smokeless gunpowder, which was 3 times more powerful
           than black powder and less of a nuisance on the battlefield.

World Wars


                                          Winners                          Losers

-1200 -900 Invasion of the Sea Peoples    Sea Peoples                      Greek states, Egypt, Anatolia, Syria
-499 -449  Greco-Persian Wars             Greek states                     Persia (Achaemenidian Empire), Macedon
-334 -324  Greek invasion of Persia       Macedon, Greek states            Persia, Egypt, Indian states
-322 -281  Diadoci Wars                   Ptolemy, Seleucus, Demetrius
-264 -146  Punic Wars                     Rome                             Carthage
-192 -188  Roman-Seleucid War             Rome, Achaean League, Macedonia  Persia (Seleucid Empire)
 -54  628  Roman-Persian Wars             Roman Empire                     Persia (Parthian Empire)
1095 1271  Crusades
1207 1340  Mongolian conquests            Mongolia                         China, Tibet, Korea, Baghdad,
                                                                           Russia, Poland, Persia,
                                                                           Mesopotamia, Syria
1213 1214  Anglo-French War               France                           England, HRE, Flanders
1337 1453  100 Years' War                 France, Castille, Aragon, Scot   England, Portugal, Navarre, Pope
1494 1559  Italian Wars                   HRE, Spain, England              France, Ottoman Empire
1580 1583  War of Portuguese Succession   Spain                            France, England, Dutch Rep
1585 1604  Anglo-Spanish War              England, France                  Spain
1618 1648  30 Years' War                  France, Sweden, Dutch, Eng       HRE, Spain, Den, Nor
1701 1715  War of the Spanish Succession  HRE, Brit, Dutch, Port, Pru      France
1733 1738  War of the Polish Succession   HRE, Russia, Prussia             France, Spain
1756 1763  7 Years' War                   Britain, Portugal, Pru, France   Austria, Spain, Sweden
1775 1783  American Revolution            USA, France, Dutch Rep, Spain    British Empire
1803 1815  Napoleonic Wars                UK, HRE, Neth, Swe, Port         France, Den, Nor
1914 1918  World War 1                    USA, UK, France, Russia, Italy   Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
1939 1945  World War 2                    USA, UK, Russia                  Germany, Japan, Italy
1945 1991  Cold War 1                     USA, UK, Germany, France, Poland Russian Empire
2000       Cold War 2                     Russian Empire                   USA, UK, Germany, France, Poland
2022       World War 3

Conflict

C: Communist revolution leading to totalitarianism T: Non-communist revolution leading to totalitarianism L: Liberation from totalitarianism

                         Category  America

 Russian Civil War   1920   C
 Tuva                1921   C
 Mongolia            1924   C
 Spain               1936   C
 Chishima Islands    1945                   Japanese island seized by the Soviet Union
 Eastern Europe      1945          Loss   Conquered by the Soviet Union. E Ger, Pol, Czech, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia
 China Civil War     1949   C
 Tibet               1951                   China seizes Tibet
 North Korea         1953   C      Loss
 Suez canal          1956          Loss   Loss of the Suez canal
 Cuba                1958   C      Loss
 Cuba                1961          Loss   Bay of Pigs invasion. Failed
 People's Rep Congo  1963   C
 Yemen               1969   C
 Somalia             1969   C
 Ethiopia            1974   C
 Vietnam             1975   C      Loss
 Laos                1975   C      Loss
 Cambodia            1975   C      Loss
 Benin               1975   C
 Angola              1975   C
 Mozambique          1975   C
 Nicaragua           1979   C
 Grenada             1979   C
 Peru                1980   C
 Burkina Faso        1983   C
 Lebanon             1984   C
 Burkina Faso        1987   L             Communist regime overthrown
 Gulf War            1991   L      Win    USA defeats Iraq and liberates Kuwait
 Soviet collapse     1991   L      Win    Soviet empire collapses and many nations are liberated
 Somalia             1995
 Nepal               1996                 Civil war between Royalists and Communists
 Venezuela           1999   C
 Kosovo War          1999   L      Win    NATO liberates Yugoslavia from totalitarianism
 Russian fall        2000   T      Loss   Russia falls to totalitarianism
 Eritria             2001   T
 Afghanistan         2001   L      Win    USA takes control of Afghanistan
 Iraq War            2003   L      Win    USA takes control of Iraq
 Iraq                2014          Loss   ISIS takes over most of Iraq
 Crimea              2014          Loss   Russia seizes Crimea
 Libya               2014          Loss   Libya fractures into civil war
 Syra                2014       Ongoing   USA intervenes in Syria
 Iraq                2019          Win    USA destroys ISIS
 Hong Kong           2021          Loss   China subjugates Hong Kong
 Afghanistan         2021          Loss   USA exits Afghanistan and Afghanistan becomes totalitarian
 Pacific Islands  Ongoing                 China steals Pacific islands
 Tunis               2014                 Tunis transitions from dictatorship to democracy
 Tunis               2021   T             Tunis becomes totalitarian
 Ukraine             2022                 Russia invades Ukraine
 Niger               2023   T      Loss   Niger becomes a dictatorship. American was participating in the civil war

Disasters

World population is influenced by war, plague, climate, and natural disasters.

The "medieval warming period" lasted from 900 AD to 1200 AD, and it corresponds with the Viking age. The Earth was warmer partly because there were few volcanoes during this age.

The following shows volcanoes, with circle size corresponding to eruption magnitude. There is a gap in volcanoes from 1000 AD to 1250 AD.


Communication

                                              Enabling technology
  -3300   Writing
  -2800   Ink
  -1700   Alphabet
  -1200   Paper
    220   Printing, wood block
   1440   Printing, moveable type             Alphabet
   1829   Train                               Steam engine
   1833   Telegraph                           Electromagnetism
   1888   Radio                               Electromagnetism
   1889   Car powered by gasoline             Gasoline engine
   1935   Television                          Electromagnetism
   1947   Transistor computer                 Solid state physics
   1950   Air travel becomes widespread       Turbofan engine
   1970   Printing, dot matrix                Transistor computer
   1977   Word processor                      Transistor computer
   1994   Internet becomes widespread         Phone network, html
   2000   Cell phones become widespread       Wireless network
   2005   Social media becomes widespread
   2010   Smart phones become widespread      Computational speed/power becomes sufficiently large
   2020   Smart watches become widespread
   2025   Cybernetic implants become widespread

Iron smelting

 -1200   Iron age begins
  -500   Wootz steel. Contains carbide Fe3C
   800   Crucible steel. Pig iron -> steel
  1000   Damascus steel. Contains carbide Fe3C
  1200   Finery forge. Reduce carbon content.     Pig iron -> wrought iron
  1205   Blast furnace. Force pressurized air into the molten iron
  1678   Reverberatory furnace. Seperate ore from fuel
  1709   Use coke instead of charcoal. Blast furnace    Abraham Darby I
  1783   Puddling. Heat in oxygen in a reverberatory furnace.     Pig iron -> wrought iron.  No charcoal needed
  1828   Hot blast. Preheat combustion air. James Neilson
  1856   Bessemer process for transforming pig iron to steel. Blow air through the molten iron.
  1952   Oxygen furnace. Use pure oxygen. Robert Durrer.
  1865   Siemens-Martin process. Open-hearth furnace.
  1888   James Readman. Electric arc process. Use electricity to purify iron from ore.

World steel production in Bkg/year:

         Bkg/yr

1800        .2
1820       1
1840       2
1860      10
1880      25
1900      36
1920      60
1940     150
1960     360
1980     700
2000     800
2020    1900

Forms of iron:

       Min carbon   Max carbon
           %            %

Wrought      0        .08
Steel         .05    2.14
Cast iron    1.8     4             Silicon 1-3%
Pig iron     3.8     4.7

History of Civilization

BCE:
 3200       Mesopotamians develop the first known written language
 2900       Bronze age begins in Mesopotamia, replaces stone age
 1600  1100 Mycenaean civilization in Crete
~1600       Thera volcano explodes in the Aegean Sea.
~1250       Hercules
~1188       Trojan war, sometime between 1194 and 1184 BC.
 1100  800  Greek dark age
  776       First Olympic games. Reemergence of Greek civilization. Iron age replaces bronze age
  624  546  Thales of Miletus. Philosopher
  570  495  Pythagoras of Croton
  563  483  Gautama Buddha
  534       First theatre competition in Athens, won by Thespis
  490       Battle of Marathon. Athenians defeat the Persians
  508       Roman Republic founded, replacing monarchy rule
  490       First Persian invasion.  Battle of Marathon.  Athenians defeat the Persians
  480       Second Persian invasion.
  469  399  Socrates
  428  348  Plato
  405       Sparta defeats Athens at the battle of Aegospotami.  Athens declines hereafter.
  395  387  Corinthian war.  Hereafter Sparta dominates Greece until the battle of Leuctra
  384  322  Aristotle
  371       Battle of Leuctra. Thebes and allies defeat Sparta.
  362       Battle of Mantinea. Thebes & allies defeat Sparta.  Thebes and Sparta decline hereafter and Macedonia rises in power.
  356  323  Alexander
  331       Battle of Gaugamela. Alexander's Macedonian and Greek army defeats the Persians
  350  280  Demetrius.       Student of Aristotle. Founded Library of Alexandria
  310  230  Aristarchus. Measured the size and distance of the moon and the sun.
  287  212  Archimedes
  275  195  Eratosthenes.  Chief of the Alexandrian Library.
  202       Battle of Zama. Rome defeats Carthage.
  197       Rome defeats Macedon at the Battle of Cynoscephalae. Rome dominates Greece hereafter.
  100   44  Julius Caesar
   73       Revolt of Roman slaves led by Spartacus and Crixus
   60   53  First Triumvirate (Caesar, Pompey, Crassus)
   53       Battle of Carrhae. Crassus defeated by the Persians.
   48       Battle of Pharsalus. Julius Caesar and Mark Antony defeat Pompei.
   44       Assassination of Julius Caesar
   43   33  Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Antony, Lepidus). End of Roman Republic
   42       Battle of Philippi. Octavian and Antony defeat Brutus and Cassius.
   31  -14  Reign of Octavian, Roman emperor
   30       Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at Alexandria
   27       Pax Romana begins and lasts until 180 CE

CE:
   90  168  Ptolemy.          Library of Alexandria.
  476  550  Aryabhata, Indian mathematician.  Refines Aristarchus' measurements of the size of the sun.
 1206       Ghenghis Khan becomes leader of the Mongolians.  Mongolian empire begins
 1258       Baghdad, a city of scholars, is destroyed by Mongolian invaders.
 1492       New World discovered
 1561 1626  Francis Bacon.  Introduces empiricism in science. Influential in the founding of the Royal Society
 1571 1630  Johannes Kepler. Discovers that planets orbit in ellipses.
 1564 1642  Galileo. Develops the concept of acceleration.
 1632 1723  Christopher Wren. Builder of cathedrals and founder of the Royal Society
 1643 1727  Isaac Newton. Develops laws of inertia, gravity, and The Calculus.
 1660       Royal Society founded
 1666       French Academy of Sciences founded
 1707 1783  Leonhard Euler
 1776       American revolution
 1777 1855  Carl Friedrich Gauss
 1789       French revolution
 1799       Volta invents the battery, launching modern electromagnetism and chemistry
 1864       Maxwell completes the theory of classical electromagnetism with the "Maxwell equations"
 1905       Einstein develops the theory of special relativity for relativistic motion
 1909       Rutherford discovers the nucleus
 1914       World War 1
 1927       Quantum mechanics developed.
 1940 1945  World War 2
 1947       Transistor invented. Silicon age begins

History of democracy

Acropolis of Athens
Palace of Westminster
United States Capitol

 ~800     Oracle of Delphi established in Ancient Greece
 ~770     Spartan democracy established with a constitution written by Lycurgus and endorsed
             by the Oracle of Delphi
 -510     Athenian democracy established by Cleisthenes, after the overthrow of King Hippias
 -509     Roman Republic founded, replacing monarchy rule
 1215     English Magna Carta
 1660     Royal Society founded by Christopher Wren
 1666     French Academy of Sciences founded
 1688     England, Revolutionary Settlement.  Parliament enacts laws limiting
          the power of the king.
 1689     England, Bill of Rights and Mutiny Bill
 1694     England, Triennial Bill
 1696     England, Treason Act
 1701     England, Act of Settlement
 1769     Golden age of the American Philosophical Society begins as Benjamin
             Franklin becomes president.  Members included Jefferson, Washington,
             Hamilton, Adams, Madison, Paine, and McHenry.
 1775     American patriots form Provisional Congresses in each of the 13 colonies that are
             independent of Great Britain, and they form a unified Continental Congress
 1776     American Declaration of Independence, July 4
 1781     American Articles of Confederation
 1787     Federalist Papers published by Hamilton, Madison, & Jay
 1788     American Constitution established
 1791     American Bill of Rights
 1810     Modern era of British Prime Ministers begins when King George III goes insane
 1830     England, Westminster system of government established (Parliament)
 1911     England, Parliament Act, lessening the power of the House of Lords
 1949     British Parliaments acts of 1949
 2014     British House of Lords Reform Act of 2014

Spartan constitution

Lycurgus

The Spartan constitution was democratic and contained checks and balances. It was established by Lycurgus in ~770 BCE and endorsed by the Oracle of Delphi. The offices were:

2 Kings
5 Ephors, which hire and fire kings
Gerousia, a legislature. Open to all Spartans over age 60 and serving for live.
   It consists of 28 elected members plus the 2 kings.
Apella, the assembly, open to all Spartans over age 30 and elected by the Spartan citizenry.
   It elects members of the Gerousia and Ephor, and can veto the Gerousia's proposals.

A requirement for Spartan citizenship was passing the military training, called the agoge.


Athens

Political office was open to all citizens. 90% of offices were chosen by lot and 10% by election. Terms were for 1 year and most offices couldn't be repeated.

During an Athenian election, approximately one hundred officials out of a thousand were elected rather than chosen by lot. There were two main categories in this group: those required to handle large sums of money, and the 10 generals, the strategoi. One reason that financial officials were elected was that any money embezzled could be recovered from their estates; election in general strongly favoured the rich, but in this case, wealth was virtually a prerequisite.

Generals were elected not only because their role required expert knowledge, but also because they needed to be people with experience and contacts in the wider Greek world where wars were fought.


Roman Republic and democracy

Cicero
Senate
Cincinnatus

The Roman Republic existed from 509 BC to 27 BC. Offices had a term of 1 year and you couldn't repeat an office. The highest office was consul. There were 2 consuls and they could veto each other's decisions.

After serving an office, you had to sit out 9 years before being eligible for another office.

Members of the Senate were appointed by consuls from 509 BCE to 318 BCE, after which they were appointed by censors. The consul or censor also had the power to remove senators. The senate, and only the senate, had the power to appoint a dictator.

There were 84 dictatorships from 501BC to 202BC, after which there were no dictatorships for the remainder of the republic.

Cincinnatus was appointed dictator twice and was renowned for holding the office no longer than necessary. The dictatorships had a duration of 15 and 19 days.


Republics

              Duration  Start  End
               years

Catholic Church  1992     30 Current  Began with the papacy of Saint Peter
Venice           1101    697  1797    Ended when conquered by Napoleon
Genoa             698   1100  1797    Ended when conquered by Napoleon
Swiss Confed.     508   1291  1798    Ended when conquered by Napoleon
Roman Republic    483   -509   -27    Ended when Octavian became emperor
Florence          423   1115  1537
Sparta            409   -770  -362    Began with Lycurgus' constitution. Ended with the battle of Mantinea
Iceland           333    930  1262    Ended when Norway conquered Iceland
England           300   1721 Current  Began when Walpole became de-facto prime minister
Mahajanapada      261   -600  -340    Northern India
America           233   1789 Current  Began with Washington's presidency
Polish-Lithuanian 223   1569  1791
Dutch Republic    215   1581  1795
Athens            173   -510  -338    Began with the constitution of Cleisthenes. Ended with the battle of Chaeronea
New Zealand       166   1856 Current
Carthage          163   -308  -146    Ended when Rome conquered Carthage
Canada            155   1867 Current
Mexico            155   1867 Current
Australia         121   1901 Current
Italy              75   1946 Current
Taiwan             75   1947 Current
South Korea        74   1948 Current
Japan              74   1947 Current
France Rep. #3     71   1870  1940
France Rep. #5     64   1958 Current
Spain              43   1978 Current  Began when King Juan Carlos instituted a transition to a republic
Brazil             37   1985 Current
Rep. of Pirates    13   1706  1718    Ended when they were crushed by England
Vermont            15   1777  1791    Ended when Vermont joined the United States of America
France Rep. #1     13   1792  1804    Began with the French revolution. Ended when Napoleon became emperor
Texas              10   1836  1845
France Rep. #4     13   1946  1958
Confederate States  6   1860  1865
France Rep. #2      5   1848  1852
Poland              2   1791  1793    Began with a constitution inspired by America's constitution.
                                      Ended when Poland was conquered.

Empires and kingdoms

                   Duration   Start   End   Max size  Biggest
                    years     year    year   km2  year

Pandyan Dynasty         2059   -300   1759                 S India and N Sri Lanka
Roman Empire            1480    -27   1453    5.0          Becomes the Eastern Roman Empire in 395 CE
Eastern Ganga Dynasty   1454    493   1947                 East India
Babylonia               1416  -2025   -609                 Baghdad
Chera Dynasty           1300   -200   1100                 SW India
Ghana Empire            1140    100   1240
Kingdom of Kush, Egypt  1129   -780    350
Aksumite Empire         1110   -150    960                 NE India
Tibetan Empire           975   -127    848    4.6
Kingdom of France        946    843   1789
Holy Roman Empire        844    962   1806    1.0          Germany
Spanish Empire           814   1162   1976   13.7   1810   Initially the Crown of Aragon
Zhou Dynasty             790  -1046   -256
Kingdom of England       927    Now   1097   35.5   1920
Ottoman Empire           624   1299   1923
Portuguese Empire        584   1415   1999
Shang Dynasty            554  -1600  -1046
New Kingdom of Egypt     473  -1550  -1077
Parthian Empire, Persia  471   -247    244    2.8
Xie Dynasty              470  -2070  -1600
Kingdom of Judah         464  -1050   -586
Han Dynasty              426   -206    220
Dutch Empire             407   1568   1975
Middle Kingdom of Egypt  405  -2055  -1650
Inca Empire              134   1438   1572    2.0
Mongolian Empire          98   1206   1304   24.0   1270
Empire of Japan           77   1868   1945    8.0   1942
Russian Empire                               22.8   1895
Qing Dynasty                                 14.7
Yuan Dynasty                                 11.0
Macedonian Empire                             5.2   -522

Ancient technology
   Year

-3000000   Stone tools
-2300000   Fire
-1500000   Bone tools
 -900000   Boat
 -500000   Stone axe with a handle
 -350000   Spear
 -300000   Language
 -200000   Glue
 -150000   Clothing
  -47000   Mining
  -45000   Shoe
  -44000   Tally sticks
  -36000   Weaving
  -35000   Flute
  -26000   Rope
  -26000   Ceramic
  -21000   Dogs domesticated
  -11000   Pigs and sheep domesticated               Fertile crescent
   -9500   First crops                               Fertile crescent
   -7000   Copper
   -4500   Wheel
   -3500   Horse domestication
   -3300   Writing

Science timeline


History of music

History of musical instruments

Stone carving from Ancient Ur
Lyra from ~ 1000 CE
Replica of an early piano

Baroque violin bow
Modern violin bow
Baroque flute
Meyer flute from somewhere between 1850 and 1890
Modern flute

Floth oboe from 1805
Clarinet from 1760
Boehm clarinet
Modern clarinet

Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ
Baroque guitar
Baroque violin

-2500  An ensemble of lyres was played in the ancient city of Ur, including
       lyres, harps, flutes, and reed instruments.
 1000  Bowed instruments first developed, such as the Lyre
 1200  The guitar comes into use in Europe
 1555  Amati develops the four-string violin
 1700  Cristofori develops the first piano, an instrument where the string is
       struck by a hammer.  Early pianos had 5 octaves
 1785  Tourte develops the modern bow
 1810  Broadwood develops a 6-octave piano
 1820  Broadwood develops a 7-octave piano
 1821  Erard develops the double-escapement mechanism for the piano, a
       device that permitted repeating a note even if the key had not yet risen
       to its maximum vertical position. This facilitated rapid playing
       of repeated notes.
 1835  Tuba invented
 1847  Boehm advances the design of the flute, including a switch from wood to metal
 1931  Beauchamp builds the first electric guitar

A harpshichord string is plucked and a piano string is hammered. A harpsichord can't vary its volume.

The strings in a piano exert a force of 20 tons.

The Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ has pipes that are 64 feet long, which corresponds to a frequency of 8.5 Hertz.


Music eras
 500 - 1400  Medieval
1400 - 1600  Renaissance
1600 - 1760  Baroque         Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Bach, Handel
1720 - 1770  Galant          Gluck
1730 - 1820  Classical       Mozart
1780 - 1910  Romantic        Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner
1890 -  Now  Modern          Prokofiev, Shostakovich

Andrea Amati

Amati (1505-1577) lived in Cremona, Italy, and developed the first violins, violas, and cellos.

This violin, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, may have been part of a set made for the marriage of Philip II of Spain to Elisabeth of Valois in 1559, which would make it one of the earliest known violins in existence.


Psychology

 -11000   Livestock. Pigs and sheep
  -7000   Alcohol fermentation
  -5000   Copper
  -4000   Wheel
  -3500   Horse domesticated
  -3300   Writing
   -800   Oracle of Delphi
   -776   Sports. First Olympic games
   -770   Spartan Constitution. Lycurgus
   -556   Mahavira begins preaching
   -530   Buddha begins preaching
   -534   First theatre competition in Athens, won by Thespis
   -530   Musical tuning based on frequency ratios.   Pythagoras
   -511   Athenian Constitution. Cleisthenes
   -509   Roman Republic founded
   -469   Socrates born
   -428   Plato born
   -384   Aristotle born
   -300   Stoicism. Zeno
      0   Christianity
    100   Nervous system is connected to muscles. Rufus
   1440   Printing press. Gutenberg
   1492   Tobacco introduced to Europe
   1585   Decimal numbers. Stevin. Modern mathematics follows, including the Calculus
   1600   Polyphonic music developed, launching the Baroque era. Stevin's mathematics contributed
   1660   English Royal Society founded
   1712   Steam engine. Newcomen. Expands humanity's ability to travel
   1743   American Philosophical Society founded by Franklin
   1750   Cumberland gap discovered. Golden age of American frontiersmanship
   1789   American Constitution and Bill of Rights
   1800   Electrochemistry. Volta. Telegraphs follow
   1812   Benjamin Rush publishes a medical textbook
   1833   Telegraph. Gauss. Humanity's ability to communicate expands
   1928   Game theory established by von Neumann
   1950   Arrow theorem of elections
   1950   Air travel becomes widespread
   1970   Eastern philosophy introduced to the West through kung fu films
   1994   Internet becomes widespread. Html is the enabling technology
   2000   Cell phones become widespread
   2000   Alexander Technique and The Feldenkrais Method become widespread
   2005   Social media becomes widespread
   2010   Smartphones become widespread
   2015   Virtual assistants become widespread, such as Alexa and Siri
   2020   Smart watches become widespread
   2021   The plague forces humanity to stay home and socialize online
   2025   Cybernetic implants become widespread
   2025   Autonomous vehicles become widespread

Appendix

Timekeeping

Foucault pendulum

-2000 System of hours, minutes, and seconds developed in Sumer
-300  Water clock developed in Ancient Greece
 100  Zhang Heng constructs a seismometer using pendulums that was capable of
      detecting the direction of the Earthquake.
1300  First mechanical clock developed.
1400  Spring-based clocks developed.
1500  Pendulums are used for power, for machines such as saws, bellows, and pumps.
1582  Galileo finds that the period of a pendulum is independent of mass
      and oscillation angle, if the angle is small.
1636  Mersenne and Descartes find that a pendulum was not perfectly isochronous.
        The period increases with amplitude.
1656  Huygens builds the first pendulum clock, delivering a precision of
      15 seconds per day.  Previous devices had a precision of 15 minutes per day.
      Fron this point on pendulum clocks were the most accurate timekeeping devices
      until the development of the quartz oscillator was developed in 1921.
1657  Balance spring developed by Hooke and Huygens, making possible portable
      pocketwatches.
1658  Huygens publishes the result that pendulum rods expand when heated.
      This was the principal error in pendulum clocks.
1670  Previous to 1670 the verge escapement was used, which requires a large angle.
      The anchor escapement mechanism is developed in 1670, which allows for a smaller
      angle.  This increased the precision because the oscillation period is
      independent of angle for small angles.
1673  Huygens publishes a treatise on pendulums.
1714  The British Parliament establishes the "Longitude Prize" for anyne
      who could find an accurate method to determine longitude at sea.
      At the time there was no clock that could measure time on a moving ship
      accurately enough to determine longitude.
1721  Methods are developed for compensating for thermal expansion error of a pendulum.
1726  Gridiron pendulum developed, improving precision to 1 second per day.
1772  Harrison builds a clock which James Cook used in his exploration of the Pacific.
      Cook's log is full of praise for the watch and the charts of the Pacific
      Ocean were remarkably accurate.
1772  Harrison gives one of his clocks to King George III, who personally tested it and
      found it to be accurate to 1/3 of one second per day.  King George III advised
      Harrison to petition Parliament for the full Longitude Prize after threatening
      to appear in person to dress them down.
1851  Foucault shows that a pendulum can be used to measure the rotation period of
      the Earth.  The penulum swings in a fixed frame and the Earth rotates with
      respect to this frame.  In the Earth frame the pendulum appears to precess.
1921  Quartz electronic oscillator developed
1927  First quartz clocks developed, which were more precise than pendulum clocks.

Cosmology
-240     Eratosthenes measures the Earth's circumference to 20% error.
-240     Aristarchus proves that the sun is at least 10 times larger than the Earth
         using lunar eclipses.
 150     Ptolemy publishes The Almagest with the geocentric model
 550     Aryabhata publishes accurate measurements of size of the sun and moon
1543     Copernicus publishes a heliocentric model.
1600     Brahe measures accurate planet positions
1608     Lippershey invents the telescope
1609     Galileo builds a telescope and begins observing
1609     Kepler proves that planets orbit as ellipses using Brahe's data
1613     Galileo publishes observations of the phases of Venus, which support
         the heliocentric model
1632     Galileo publishes the "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems",
         which contained a comparison of the systems of Ptolemy and Copernicus
1672     Richter and Cassini measure the parallax of Mars, producing a precise
         value for the size of the sun
1687     Newton publishes the Principia Mathematica, which contained the calculus,
         the laws of motion (F=MA), and a proof that planets orbit as ellipses.
1718     Halley finds that the stars move.  He found that Sirius, Arcturus and
         Aldebaran were 1/2 of a degree from the positions charted by the Ancient
         Greek astronomer Hipparchus
1783     Herschel finds that the solar system is moving with respect to the stars
1826     Olbers' paradox.  If the stars in the universe are uniformly distributed
         and if the universe is infinite, then the sky would appear infinitely bright
         with stars.
1863     Bessel measures the first stellar parallax, showing that the
         stars are more than 4 light years away.  This also implies that stars
         are as luminous as the sun.
         The parallax of stars is too small to see without a telescope.
1905     Einstein publishes special relativity
1915     Einstein publishes the general theory of relativity.
         Einstein shows that general relativity is consistent with the existence
         of a cosmological constant.  At the time the cosmological constant was a
         proposed explanation for why the universe hasn't collapsed gravitationally.
1920     Shapley finds that the sun is not at the center of the galaxy.
         Because starlight is absorbed by interstellar gas, we only see the nearby
         stars and it appears as though we live at the center of a disk of stars.
         Shapley measured the distances to globular clusters and found that they
         are centered on a point (the galactic center) that is far from the sun.
1922     Friedmann finds a solution to the equations of general relativity that
         are consistent with an expanding universe.
1923     Hubble measures the distances to Andromeda and Triangulum and finds that
         they are outside the Milky Way.  These were the first objects to be shown
         to be outside the Milky Way.
1929     Hubble's law published.  For distant galaxies, the recession velocity is
         proportional to distance.
1933     Zwicky's analysis of the Coma cluster of galaxies shows that they contain
         unseen matter that is not due to stars.
1965     Penzias and Wilson discover the cosmic microwave background radiation.
1970     Rubin and Ford measure galactic rotation and show that galaxies contain
         matter that is not due to stars.
1980     Guth and Starobinsky propose the theory of inflation to explain why the
         universe is flat
1998     Observations of supernovae show that the expansion of the universe is
         accelerating and the the cosmological constant is positive.
         Previous to this it was not known if the universe was destined for
         collapse (big crunch) or for infinite expansion (big chill).
2003     WMAP mission measures the Hubble constant to 5% precision, as well as
         other cosmological parameters.
         Previous to this, the Hubble constant had an error of ~ 20%.
         This settled once and for all the question of the overall structure of the
         universe.

Measurement of the distance to the sun

-260 Aristarchus established that the distance to the sun is at least 20 times the distance to the moon.

In 499, Aryabhata publishes a measurement of the distance to the sun.

Brahe's data consisted of measurements of angles between different objects. This data could be used to establish the shape of orbits but not their size. For example, if the size of the solar system were doubled along with the speeds of the planets, the angles would stay the same and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

In 1639, Horrocks used a transit of Venus to measure the distance to the sun, but this method is incapable of giving an accurate value, and it can only be done once per century.

In 1672, Richter and Cassini measured the parallax of Mars which gives a result for the distance to the sun that is more accurate than the Venus method. The Mars method has an advantage over the Venus method in that it can be done once every 26 months, when Mars is at closest approach.

In 1676, Romer used the moons of Jupiter to measure the time it takes for light to cross the Earth's orbit. This gives a value for R/C.

In 1729, Bradley measured the deflection of starlight due to the Earth's motion, which gives a measurement of V/C, or equivalently, a measurement of R/C.

In 1849, Fizeau produced the first measurement for the speed of light that was independent of the Earth-sun distance R.

Speed of light                           =  C
Earth-sun distance                       =  R
Earth orbital velocity                   =  V
Earth orbital time (1 year)              =  T  =  2 π R / V
Time for light to cross the Earth's orbit=  t  =  2 R / C

Chemistry
~808    Qing Xuzi publishes a formula resembling gunpower, consisting of
        6 parts sulfur, 6 parts saltpeter, and 1 part birthwort herb (for carbon).
~850    Incendiary property of gunpower discovered
1540    Biringuccio publishes "De la pirotechnia", giving recipes for gunpowder
1661    Boyle publishes "The Sceptical Chymist", a treatise on the
        distinction between chemistry and alchemy.  It contains some of the
        earliest modern ideas of atoms, molecules, and chemical reaction,
        and marks the beginning of the history of modern chemistry.
1662    Boyle discovers that for air at fixed temperature,
        Pressure * Volume = Constant
1663    Guericke invents the first electrostatic generator, which uses
        mechanical work to separate charge.  Generators were refined until
        they were superceded by the battery.
1671    Boyle discovers that combining iron filings and acid produces hydrogen gas.
1754    Black isolates CO2
1758    Black formulates the concept of latent heat to explain phase transitions
1766    Cavendish identifies hydrogen as a colorless, odourless gas that burns
        in air.
1772    Scheele produces pure oxygen gas by heating HgO.
1774    Priestly produces pure oxygen gas by focusing sunlight on HgO.
        He noted that it is combustible and that it gives energy when breathed.
1745    von Kleist invents the capacitor, a device for storing charge generated
        by an electrostatic generator.
1746    van Musschenbroek refines the capacitor, which comes to be known as a
        "Leyden jar".
1777    Lavoisier finds that in the reaction tin+oxygen, mass is conserved.
        He also finds that oxygen is not the only component of air, that air also
        consists of something else.
1780    Galvani observes that when a frog leg is touched by an iron scalpel,
        it twitches.  This was the inspiration for Volta to invent the battery.
1781    Cavendish finds that buring hydrogen + oxygen produces water.
1787    Charles finds that for air at constant pressure,
        Volume = Constant * Temperature
        He also finds that this applies for O2, N2, H2, and CO2.
1789    Lavoisier publishes "Traite Elementaire de Chimie", the first modern
        chemistry textbook.  It is a complete survey of (at that time) modern
        chemistry, the law of conservation of mass.
1791    Volta develops the first electrochemical cell, consisting of two different
        metals separated by a moist intermediary.
1797    Proust proposes the law of definite proportions, that elements
        combine in small whole number ratios to form compounds.
1800    Volta constructs the first "battery" by connecting multiple electrochemical
        cells in parallel, increasing the output power and voltage.
1801    Dalton publishes the law of partial pressures.
        The pressure of a mix of gases is equal to the sum of the pressures
        of the components.  He also finds that when a light and heavy gas are mixed,
        the heavy gas does not drift to the bottom but rather fills the space
        uniformly.
1805    Gay-Lussac and Humboldt find that water is formed of two volumes of
        hydrogen gas and one volume of oxygen gas.
1809    Gay-Lussac finds that for an ideal gas at constant volume,
        Pressure = Constant * Temperature
1811    Avogadro finds that equal volumes of different gases have the same number
        of particles.  At constant temperature and pressure,
        Volume = Constant * NumberOfParticles
1811    Avogadro arrives at the correct interpretation of water's composition,
        based on what is now called Avogadro's law and the assumption of diatomic
        elemental molecules
1840    Hess finds that energy is conserved in chemical reactions
1848    Lord Kelvin establishes concept of absolute zero, the temperature at
        which all molecular motion ceases.
1860    Cannizzaro publishes a table of atomic weights of the known elements
1864    Gulberg and Waage propose the law of mass action
1869    Mendeleev publishes a periodic table containing the 66 known elements
1876    Gibbs publishes the concept of "Gibbs free energy"
1877    Boltzmann defines entropy and develops thermodynamics
1877    Pictet freezes CO2 and liquefies oxygen.
        Liquification enables the purification of gases.
1894    Ramsay discovers the noble gases, filling a large and unexpected gap in
        the periodic table

Atoms
1635   Gassendi measures the speed of sound to be 478 m/s with 25% error.
1660   Viviani and Borelli produce the first accurate measurement of the speed of
       sound, giving a value of 350 m/s.
1660   Hooke's law published.  The force on a spring is proportional to the change
       in length.
1662   Boyle discovers that for air at fixed temperature,
       Pressure * Volume = Constant
       Hence, air obey's Hooke's law
1687   Newton publishes the Principia Mathematica, which contains the first analytic
       calculation of the speed of sound.  The calculated value was 290 m/s
       and the true value is 342 m/s (at 20 Celsius).
Newton's result was the first solid evidence for the existence of atoms. His result differed from the correct value because it had not yet been discovered that air heats when compressed. If you add this effect you get the right value.

The reason air heats when compressed is because it is composed of atoms. You can see this in action with the "Gas" simulation at phet.colorado.edu. You can also see how atoms in a gas can carry a sound wave, and why the sound speed has the same order-of-magnitude as the thermal velocity of the atoms.

1789  Lavoisier publishes "Traite Elementaire de Chimie", the first modern
      chemistry textbook.  It is a complete survey of (at that time) modern
      chemistry, the law of conservation of mass.
1797  Proust proposes the law of definite proportions, that elements
      combine in small whole number ratios to form compounds.
1801  Dalton publishes the law of partial pressures.
      The pressure of a mix of gases is equal to the sum of the pressures
      of the components.  He also finds that when a light and heavy gas are mixed,
      the heavy gas does not drift to the bottom but rather fills the space
      uniformly.
1805  Gay-Lussac and Humboldt find that water is formed of two volumes of
      hydrogen gas and one volume of oxygen gas.
1809  Gay-Lussac finds that for an ideal gas at constant volume,
      Pressure = Constant * Temperature
1811  Avogadro finds that equal volumes of different gases have the same number
      of particles.  At constant temperature and pressure,
      Volume = Constant * NumberOfParticles
1811  Avogadro arrives at the correct interpretation of water's composition,
      based on what is now called Avogadro's law and the assumption of diatomic
      elemental molecules
1860  Cannizzaro publishes a table of atomic weights of the known elements
1869  Mendeleev publishes a periodic table containing the 66 known elements
1877  Boltzmann defines entropy and develops thermodynamics
All of these results support the hypothesis that matter is composed of atoms, but there was no known experiment sensitive enough to measure the size and mass of an individual atom.
Wavelength of violet light = 4e-7 meters
Diameter of an iron atom   = 2e-10 meters
Violet photons are much larger than atoms and so you can't see atoms in an optical microscope.
1905  Einstein publishes a method for measuring the mass of an atom using
      Brownian motion
1908  Perrin uses Einstein's method to produce the first measurement of the mass of
      an atom.  This is equivalent to measuring the value of Avogadro's number.
Minutephysics atoms
Electromagnetism
-600       Thales discovers static electricity
-600       Thales discovers natural magnets, which are magnetized magnetite (Fe3O4)
-250       Magnetic compass invented
1600       Gilbert publishes a treatise on electromagnetism
1663       Guericke invents the first electrostatic generator, which uses
           mechanical work to separate charge.  Generators were refined until
           they were superceded by the battery.
1745       von Kleist invents the capacitor, a device for storing charge generated
           by an electrostatic generator.
1746       van Musschenbroek refines the capacitor, which comes to be known as a
           "Leyden jar".
1748       Franklin determines that there are two types of charge, positive and
           negative, and that charge is conserved.
1752       Franklin discovers the link between lightning and electricity by using a
           kite to transfer charge from lightning to a Leyden jar.
1780       Galvani observes that when a frog leg is touched by an iron scalpel,
           it twitches.  This was the inspiration for Volta to invent the battery.
1785       Coulomb discovers the electric force law
1791       Volta develops the first electrochemical cell, consisting of two different
           metals separated by a moist intermediary.
1800       Volta constructs the first "battery" by connecting multiple electrochemical
           cells in parallel, increasing the output power and voltage.
           In 1836 Daniell refined the battery, making it suitable for industrial use
1820       Oersted finds that an electric current produces a magnetic field
1820       Ampere finds that electric currents attract each other
1831       Faraday finds that a changing magnetic field produces an electric field
1861       Maxwell finds that a changing electric field produces a magnetic field
1862       Maxwell unifies the previous discoveries about currents and magnetic
           fields with "Maxwell's equations"
1864       Maxwell finds that light is an electromagnetic wave
           This theory predicts a paradox, that the speed of light is invariant
1883       Wimshurst machine invented for using induction to separate charge
1884       Heaviside invents the vector calculus and uses it to simplify Maxwell's
           equations
1887       Hertz achieves the first detection of electromagnetic waves
1887       Michelson-Morley experiment finds that the speed of light is invariant
1889       Heaviside publishes the force law for a charge moving in a magnetic field
1892       Lorentz discovers the "Lorentz transform" for special relativity
           This offered an explanation for the Michelson-Morley experiment
1904       Lorentz finds that the Lorentz transform resolves the paradoxes of
           Maxwell's equations
1905       Einstein and Poincare each publish a complete formulation of the
           theory of special relativity

Energy
1650  Guericke builds the first vacuum pump
1660  Boyle's law for a gas at constant temperature:  Pressure * Volume = Constant
1676  Leibniz defines kinetic energy and notes that it is conserved in many
      mechanical processes
1698  Savery develops a steam engine
1702  Amontons introduces the concept of absolute zero, based on observations of gases
1761  Black discovers that ice absorbs heat without changing its temperature when
      melting
1776  Smeaton publishes a paper on experiments related to power, work, momentum,
      and kinetic energy, supporting the conservation of energy
1777  Scheele distinguishes heat transfer by thermal radiation from that by
      convection and conduction
1791  Prevost shows that all bodies radiate heat, no matter how hot or cold they are
1798  Thompson performs measurements of the frictional heat generated in
      boring cannons and develops the idea that heat is a form of kinetic energy
1802  Gay-Lussac publishes Charles's law.
      For a gas at constant pressure, Temperature * Volume = Constant
1802  Gay-Lussac publishes Gay-Lussac's law.
      For a gas at constant volume, Temperature * Pressure = Constant
1804  Leslie observes that dark surfaces radiate heat more effectively than
      light-colored surfaces.
1810  Leslie freezes water to ice artificially
1819  Dulong and Petit find that the heat capacity of a crystal is proportional to the
      number of atoms
1824  Carnot analyzes the efficiency of steam engines; he develops the notion of a
      reversible process and, in postulating that no such thing exists in nature,
      lays the foundation for the second law of thermodynamics, and initiating the
      science of thermodynamics
1827  Brown discovers the Brownian motion of pollen and dye particles in water
1831  Melloni demonstrates that infrared radiation can be  reflected, refracted,
      and polarized in the same way as light
1834  Clapeyron combines Boyle's Law, Charles's Law, and Gay-Lussac's Law to
      produce a Combined Gas Law.
      Pressure * Volume  =  Constant * Temperature
1842  Mayer calculates the equivalence between heat and kinetic energy
1847  Helmholtz publishes "On the Conservation of Force", where energy is used to
        connect mechanics, heat, light, electricity and magnetism.

Electrons
1752  Dalibard uses a lightening rod to validate Franklin's hypothesis.
1909  Millikan and Fletcher use the "Oil drop" experiment to obtain the first
      measurement of the electron mass and charge.  They find that the electron
      mass is 2000 times smaller than a hydrogen atom.
1947  Franklin finds that electricity is composed of positive and
      negative charge and that charge is conserved.
1750  Franklin proposes an experiment to prove that lightening is electricity
      by flying a kite in a lightening storm.

Nuclei
1909  Rutherford, Geiger, and Marsden use the "Rutherford scattering" experiment
      to show that the nucleus is much smaller than the atom.

Size of atom     ~  2e-10 meters
Size of nucleus  ~  2e-15 meters
Phet simulation on Rutherford scattering
Quantum mechanics
1635  Gassendi measures the speed of sound to be 478 m/s with 25% error.
1660  Viviani and Borelli produce the first accurate measurement of the speed of
      sound, giving a value of 350 m/s.
1660  Hooke's law published.  The force on a spring is proportional to the change
      in length.
1662  Boyle discovers that for air at fixed temperature,
      Pressure * Volume = Constant
1687  Newton publishes the Principia Mathematica, which contains the first analytic
      calculation of the speed of sound.  The calculated value was 290 m/s.
      The fact that Newton's calculation differed from the measured speed was the first
      solid clue for the existence of atoms, and it also contained a clue for quantum
      mechanics.
      In Newton's age it was not known that a gas heats if compressed.  If you include
      this effect you get the correct value for the speed of sound.  The fact that
      a gas heats when compressed is due to the fact that a gas is composed of atoms.
1859  Kirchhoff finds that the blackbody spectrum depends only on temperature
1877  Boltzmann suggests that the energy levels of a physical system could be
      discrete based on statistical mechanics and mathematical arguments
1887  Hertz discovers the photoelectric effect, that light can eject electrons
      from a material
1888  Rydberg measures the emission frequencies of the hydrogen atom
1900  Planck finds if you assume photon energy is quantized, the correct blackbody
      spectrum emerges
1905  Einstein interprets the photoelectric effect as being caused by discrete
      packets of light (photons)
1907  Rutherford discovers the nucleus with the "Rutherford scattering" experiment
1909  Taylor demonstrates that the diffraction pattern of light through a double
      slit is preserved even if the photons are emitted one at a time
1909  Einstein shows that the Planck law implies that photons carry momentum

Matter waves
1803  Young discovers the diffraction of light, suggesting that light is a wave
1861  Maxwell develops the "Maxwell's equations", unifying electricity and magnetism
1864  Maxwell finds that light is an electromagnetic wave
1900  Planck solves the blackbody problem by assuming that photon energy is quantized as
      E = h F
1905  Einstein publishes the "photoelectric effect" experiment, providing the first
      direct measurement of photon energy and momentum.
1905  Theory of special relativity completed.
1913  Bohr model of the atom published
1924  de Broglie postulates that for particles with mass,
      Momentum * Wavelength = PlanckConstant
1927  Davisson and Germer experimentally verify the de Broglie relation for electrons.

Slide rule

1624  Slide rule age begins when Wingate publishes a table of logarithms
1630  Oughtred builds a circular slide rule
1632  Oughtred develops the modern design for the slide rule
1677  First commercial slide rule
1976  Slide rule era ends when Texas Instruments creates the
      electronic calculator, available for $104 in 2015 dollars.

The Calculus
1585  Simon Stevin introduces decimal numbers to Europe. (for example, writing 1/4 as .25)

1586  Simon Stevin drops objects of varying mass from a church tower to demonstrate that
      acceleration is independent of mass.

1604  Galileo publishes the mathematical description of acceleration.

1614  Logarithms invented by John Napier.

1637  Cartesian geometry published by Fermat and Descartes.
      This was the crucial development that triggered an explosion of mathematics
      and opened the way for the calculus.

1684  Leibniz publishes the calculus

1687  Newton publishes the Principia Mathematica, which contained the calculus,
      the laws of motion (F=MA), and a proof that planets orbit as ellipses.

1733  Euler develops the calculus of variations

1762  Lagrange discovers the divergence theorem, the 2D generalization of the fundamental
      theorem of calculus. The surface flux integral equals the volume divergence integral.

1788  Lagrangian mechanics published

1821  Cauchy publishes the "epsilon-delta" definition of a limit, raising the
      level of rigor in mathematics.

1822  Fourier transform published

1828  Green's theorem.  In 2D, the circulation line integral equals the curl area integral

1833  Hamiltonian mechanics published

1834  Eikonal approximation developed by Hamilton

1850  Kelvin-Stokes theorem.  3D generalization of Green's theorem

1854  Stokes theorem.  Generalization of the Kelvin-Stokes theorem

1854  Riemann Integral published, the first rigorous definition of an integral

1854  Chebyshev polynomials

1863  Helmholtz publishes "On the Sensations of Tone"

1870  Heine defines "uniform continuity"

1872  Heine proves that a continuous function on an open interval need not be
      uniformly continuous.

1872  Weierstrass publishes the "Weierstrass function", the first example of
      a function that is continuous everywhere and differentiable nowhere.

1877  Lord Rayleigh publishes "Theory of Sound"

1887  Poincare discovers the phenomenon of chaos while studying celestial mechanics

1926  WKB theory published

1935  Bourbaki textbooks published, with the aim of reformulating mathematics on
      an extremely abstract and formal but self-contained basis.  With the goal
      of grounding all of mathematics on set theory, the authors strove for rigour
      and generality.

1978  "Bender & Orszag" textbook published.  Art of blending special functions
      like Scotch.

1986  "Numerical Recipes" textbook on algorithms published

History of logic
1585  Stevin introduces decimal numbers.  (For example, writing 1/8 as 0.125)
1637  Cartesian geometry published by Fermat and Descartes
1684  Leibniz publishes The Calculus
1761  Lambert proves that Pi is irrational
1821  Cauchy publishes the "epsilon-delta" definition of a limit,
      which brought rigor to The Calculus.
1830  Galois publishes "Galois Theory", which explains why
      a general polynomial equation of order n can be solved in terms of radicals
      only if n <= 4.
1844  Louisville proves the existence of transcendental numbers
1851  Louisville constructs the first transcendental number
1854  Riemann publishes the Riemann Integral, the first rigorous definition
      of an integral.
1859  Riemann Hypothesis published
1860  Grassmann studies the question of the axiomatization of arithmetic.
1870  Heine defines "uniform continuity"
1872  Heine proves that a continuous function on an open interval need not be
      uniformly continuous.
1872  Weierstrass publishes the "Weierstrass function", the first example of
      a function that is continuous everywhere but differentiable nowhere.
1873  Hermite proves that "e" is transcendental
1874  Cantor proves that the algebraic numbers are countable and that
      the real numbers are uncountable, using the "diagonal slash" argument.
1874  Cantor publishes the first attempt at a rigorous set theory.
1878  Cantor proves that the transcendental numbers and the real numbers have
      the same cardinality, thus estabilishing the ubiquity of transcendental numbers
1878  Cantor publishes the "Continuum Hypothesis":
      "There is no set whose cardinality is strictly between that of the integers
      and the real numbers."
      In 1900, Hilbert included the question of the Continuum Hypothesis in his
      list of 23 unsolved problems.
1882  Lindemann proves that Pi is transcendental.  A corollary is the imposibility
      of squaring a circle with a compass and straightedge.
1883  Cantor publishes the Cantor Set, a rich source of counterexamples
1887  Poincare discovers the phenomenon of "Chaos" while studying celestial mechanics.
      There exist orbits that are neither unbounded nor limiting to a stable state.
1889  Peano publishes a set of axioms for arithmetic which are now the standard.
1898  Hadamard defines a dynamical system where all orbits exponential diverge from
      each other with a positive Lyapunov exponent.
1900  Hilbert publishes a list of 23 unsolved problems. They include:
      The Continuum Hypothesis           (proved independent of ZFC by Godel)
      Prove that the axioms of arithmetic are consistent.  (proved impossible by Godel)
      The Riemann Hypothesis     (still unresolved)
      What is the densest sphere packing?  (resolved in 1998)
1901  Russell publishes "Russell's Paradox", which shows that Cantor's set theory
      leads to a contradiction.  This was resolved in 1922 by the Zermelo-Fraenkel
      axioms of set theory.
1904  Lebesgue publishes the Lebesque Integral, a generalization of the
      Riemann Integral.
      "Lebesgue Measure" is the standard way of assigning a measure to subsets of
      n-dimensional Euclidean space.  For n = 1, 2, or 3, it coincides with the
      standard measure of length, area, or volume.
      The Lebesgue measure of the set of rational numbers in the interval [0,1]
      is 0, and the real numbers on this interval have measure 1.
      The Cantor set is an example of an uncountable set that has Lebesgue measure zero.
1904  Poincare Conjecture published
1904  Zermelo defines the Axiom of Choice.
      Previously, mathematicians had been using this axiom implicitly without realizing
      it.
      Kronecker's opposition to Cantor's theories became the inspiration for
      the mathematical outlook of "Constructivism", which asserts that it is
      necessary to construct a mathematical object to prove that it exists (proving
      its nonexistence does not imply its existence).
      Constructivism is at odds with the Axiom of Choice and the Law of the Excluded
      Middle.
1922  Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms of set theory developed (ZF).  This resolved
      Russell's Paradox.
1924  Banach-Tarsky paradox published, exhibiting a spooky consequence of the
      Axiom of Choice.
1931  Godel proves the Incompleteness Theorems.
      For any set of axioms that are nontrivial and consistent,
      there will exist statements about the natural numbers that are true but
      cannot be proven within the system.
      Also, the system cannot prove its own consistency.
      Cantor's "diagonal slash" argument was an inspiration for these theorems.
1935  Bourbaki textbooks published, with the aim of reformulating mathematics on
      an extremely abstract and formal but self-contained basis.  With the goal
      of grounding all of mathematics on set theory, the authors strove for rigour
      and generality.
1940  Godel proves that the Axiom of Choice and the Continuum Hypothesis cannot be
      disproved with the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms (ZF).
      He also established that the Continuum Hypothesis cannot be disproved
      even if the Axiom of Choice is added to the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms (ZFC).
1961  Lorenz finds that computer simulations of weather have extreme sensitivity to
      initial conditions.
1963  Cohen proves that the Axiom of Choice and the Continuum Hypothesis cannot be
      proved with the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms, establishing that they are
      independent of ZF.
1967  Mandelbrot publishes examples of fractals from nature
1967  Bishop publishes "Foundations of Constructive Analysis", where he proved
      most of the important theorems in real analysis by constructive methods.
1982  Mandelbrot publishes "The Fractal Geometry of Nature"
1983  Langlands Program published
1994  Wiles proves Fermat's Last Theorem
2000  Millenium Prize problems published.  They include:
      The Riemann Hypothesis
      P versus NP
      The Poincare Conjecture
      Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness
2002  Perelman proves the Poincare Conjecture
2009  Chau proves the Fundamental Lemma for the Langlands Program
2013  Zhang and Maynard publish results that constitute progress toward resolving
      the twin prime conjecture.

Define a function between the positive integers and the rational numbers on the interval [0,1].
f(1)   =    0
f(2)   =    1
f(3)   =   1/2
f(4)   =   1/3
f(5)   =   2/3
f(6)   =   1/4
f(7)   =   3/4
f(8)   =   1/5
f(9)   =   2/5
f(10)  =   3/5
f(11)  =   4/5
f(12)  =   1/6
f(13)  =   5/6
f(14)  =   1/7
f(15)  =   2/7
f(16)  =   3/7
etc.
Every rational number corresponds to a unique integer and every integer corresponds to a unique rational number (a "bijection").

If a set can be bijected with the integers we say it is "Countable". The rational numbers are countable.

"Algebraic numbers" are numbers that can be expressed as the root of a non-zero n-degree polynomial with integer coefficients. The rational numbers correspond to roots of polynomials of degree 1. The algebraic numbers are countable.

Rational number          Expressible as A/B, where A and B are integers.
Irrational number        Not a rational number.
Algebraic number         Expressible as the root of a non-zero polynomial
                         with integer coefficients.
Transcendental number    Not an algebraic number.
Suppose we attenpt to count the real numbers on the interval [0,1]. Let X=f(I) be a bijection between the positive integers I and the reals X, where every real number X is represented by some integer I. Let g(X,n) be the nth digit of X to the right of the decimal point. Define a number Z such that g(Z,n) = g(f(n),n). Z is not equal to f(I) for any integer I, and so Z is not present in the counting. Any attempt to count the reals will result in at least one missed number, hence the reals are uncountable. We say that the integers are "countably infinite" and the reals are "uncountably infinite".

This is Cantor's "diagonal slash" argument that he used to establish that the real numbers are more numerous than the integers. Godel's theorems are inspired by the diagonal slash argument.

In terms of subsets,

Integers  <  Rational numbers  <  Algebraic numbers  <  Transcendental numbers
A countable set has Lebesgue measure zero. In terms of Lebesgue measure over the interval [0,1],
0  =  Rational numbers  =  Algebraic numbers  <  Transcendental numbers  =  Real numbers  =  1
Two sets have the same "cardinality" if and only if a bijection exists between them. In terms of cardinality,
Integers  =  Rational numbers  =  Algebraic numbers  <  Transcendental numbers  =  Real numbers
In terms of cardinality, real numbers are infinitely more numerous than algebraic numbers.

The Continuum Hypothesis conjectures that there exists no set whose cardinality is strictly between that of the integers and the real numbers. If such a set S existed, its cardinality would be such that

Integers  <  S  <  Real numbers

Hermann Weyl, 1949: "Mathematics with Brouwer gains its highest intuitive clarity. He succeeds in developing the beginnings of analysis in a natural manner, all the time preserving the contact with intuition much more closely than had been done before. It cannot be denied, however, that in advancing to higher and more general theories the inapplicability of the simple laws of classical logic eventually results in an almost unbearable awkwardness. And the mathematician watches with pain the greater part of his towering edifice which he believed to be built of concrete blocks dissolve into mist before his eyes."

Hermann Weyl, 1939: "In these days the angel of topology and the devil of abstract algebra fight for the soul of each individual mathematical domain."

Poincare: "There is no actual infinite; the Cantorians have forgotten this, and that is why they have fallen into contradiction."


Industrial revolution
-3000  Coal is used to smelt copper in Britain
 1700  5/6 of the world's coal is mined in Britain
 1800  Volta invents the battery
 1830  Faraday develops the generator for converting mechanical to electric energy
 1856  Bessemer process developed to transform pig iron to steel
 1882  First commercial electricity plants, using hydro or coal power
 1884  Sir Parsons develops the steam turbine, which today is used for 80% of electrical power

Cement
CaO             Calcium oxide          Lime
Al2O3           Aluminum oxide
SiO2            Silicon dioxide        Rock, quartz
CaCO3           Calcium carbonate      Limestone
CO2             Carbon dioxide
Al2O3⋅SiO2       Aluminum silicate      Volcanic ash, andalusite, kyanite, sillimanite
CaSO4⋅2(H2O)                            Gypsum
Fe2O3           Iron(III) oxide        Rust
Non-hydraulic cement hardens upon contact with CO2 in the air and cannot be set in the presence of water.

Hydraulic cement hardens upon contact with water.

Aluminum silicates are compounds derived from aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) and can be found in volcanic ash.

The Ancient Romans made hydraulic cement from volcanic ash and lime.

Non-hydraulic cement:

CaCO3          →  CaO + CO2           Heat for 10 hours at above 825 Celcius
CaO + H2O      →  Ca(OH)2             Add water and then let dry
Ca(OH)2 + CO2  →  CaCO3 + H2O          Hardens in the presence of CO2
Hydraulic cement is made from a mixture of
2(CaO)⋅SiO2         Belite
3(CaO)⋅SiO2         Alite
3(CaO)⋅Al2O3        Tricalcium aluminate
4(CaO)⋅Al2O3⋅Fe2O3   Brownmillerite
Portland cement is a hydraulic cement.

History of cement:

Ancient Babylon            Bitumen (asphalt). Viscous petroleum
Ancient Egypt              Sand and burnt gypsum
Ancient Greece and Rome    Hydraulic cement
1780                       James Parker advances the art of hydraulic cement
1840                       Aspdin develops "Portland cement"
Portland cement:
CaO      .63
SiO2     .219
Al2O3    .069
Fe2O3    .03
MgO      .025
SO3      .017
Portland cement is the most widely used modern cement. It is made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) with other materials (such as clay) to 1450 Celsius. The resulting hard substance is ground into powder and mixed with gypsum and water, after which it hardens.

Concrete is cement mixed with gravel and sand.


Glass composition
                Egypt     Rome   Europe    Modern
                1500 BC   0 AD   1300 AD

Silica    SiO2    65      68       53       73
Soda      NaO2    20      16        3       16
Potash    K2O      2        .5     17         .5
Lime      CaO      4       8       12        5
Magnesia  MgO      4        .5      7        3
Numbers are percentages.
Ship size

Ship          Type       Displace   Year
                           Mkg

Trireme       Battleship      .040  Ancient Greece
Santa Maria   Explorer        .15   1942               Columbus' flagship
HMS Victory   Battleship     3.50   1765               UK
Virginia      Battleship     4.1    1862               Confederacy   Ironclad
Monitor       Battleship     1.00   1862               Union         Ironclad
Texas         Battleship     6.42   1892               USA

Bismarck      Battleship    41.7    1940   Germany
Yamato        Battleship    74.2    1941   Japan
Musashi       Battleship    68.2    1942   Japan
Iowa          Battleship    48.5    1942   USA
New Jersey    Battleship    58.1    1943   USA

Langley       Carrier       12.9    1912   USA
Lexington     Carrier       33.0    1927   USA
Lexington     Carrier       48.5    1928   USA
Kaga          Carrier       38.2    1929   Japan
Yorktown      Carrier       36.4    1943   USA
Shimano       Carrier       64.8    1944   Japan
T Roosevelt   Carrier      106.3    1986   USA

Titanic       Cruise        52.3    1912   UK
Wonder Sea    Cruise       267      2022
Symphony Sea  Cruise       228.1    2018   Bahamas

Petrobras 36  Oil rig       56.6    1995   Brazil
Champs Elysee Cargo        236.6    2020   France
Batillus      Supertanker  275.3    1976   France
Pioneering    Crane        403.3    2016   Malta

Radio and television
1920  Commercial radio broadcasts begin
1934  Commercial television appears
1941  RCA begins broadcasting 525-line television.  Television becomes widespread
1954  First color television broadcast
1965  Half of broadcasts are in color
1972  All broadcasts are in color
2008  Digital television era begins.  All television is digital by 2010

World War 2

1943 July 1
1943 December 1
1944 May 1

1944 November 1
1945 March 1
1945 August 1

1943 July 1
1943 November 1
1944 July 1

1944 September 1
1944 December 15
1945 May 1


Star Trek

              Seasons  Year        Captain

Enterprise         4   2151-2155   Archer
Discovery          5   2256-       Georgiou, Lorca, Pike
Short Treks        2   2257-
Star Trek          3   2266-2269   Kirk
Next Generation    7   2364-2370   Picard
Deep Space 9       7   2369-2375   Sisqo
Voyager            7   2371-2404   Janeway
Picard             3   2399-2402
Lower Decks        5   2380-2381
Prodigy            2   2383-2384
Strange New Worlds 4   2259-2259   Pike

-2700      Vulcan is in a violent colonial era
-900       Vulcans develop space travel
 400       On Vulcan, Surak introduces logic.  Subsequent wars force
           some Vulcans to flee Vulcan and colonize Romulus, and they become
           the Romulans.
 930       Kahless introduces the concept of honor to a warlike Klingon society
1900       Vulcan civilization stabilizes and interstellar exploration begins
1947       Vulcans develop warp drive
1947       Klingons develop warp drive, possibly from reverse-engineering
1957       Earth launches its first spacecraft, Sputnik. Vulcan begins monitoring
           the Earth
2047       Vulcans warp drives reach a speed of Warp 2
2049-2053  Earth WW III
2050       War begins between Vulcan and Andoria
2063       On Earth, Zefrim Cochrane invents the Warp drive,
           prompting the Vulcans to make official contact with Earth
2151       Klingons encounter Earthlings
2151-2152  Enterprise Season 1    (Captain Archer)
2152       Skirmish between a Federation and Romulan warship
2154-2155  Enterprise Season 4
2156-2160  Earth-Romulan War
2160       Battle of Cheron.  The Federation, Klingons, Andorians, and Tellarites
           defeat the Romulans.  Neutral zone established along the Romulan border.
           Romulans go into isolation.
2161       Founding of the United Federation of Planets, including Earth, Vulcan,
           and Andoria. Enterprise season finale
2256       Discovery Season 1
2258       Star Trek 11.  Timeline forks here to the alternate timeline of Star trek 12.
2266-2267  Star Trek Season 1     (Captain Kirk)
2266       Romulans end their isolation and attacks the Federation
2268-2269  Star Trek Season 3
2271       Klingons defeat the Romulans at the battle of Klach D'Kel Brakt
2285       Wrath of Khan
2285       Klingons acquire cloaking technology from the Romulans
2311       Romulan empire goes into isolation
2344       The Federation and the Klingon Empire negotiate a peace treaty
2347       Federaton-Cardassian war begins
2353       The Borg become aware of the existence of humanity
2353       The Federation and the Klingon Empire form an alliance
2354       The U.S.S. Raven is sent to investigate the Borg and disappears
2364       The Next Generation Season 1 (Captain Picard)
2364       Several Federation and Romulan outposts are destroyed by the Borg,
           prompting the Romulan Empire to come out of isolation and negotiate with
           the Federation.
2364       The Federation makes first contact with the Ferengi
2366       The Borg invade the Alpha Quadrant and attack the Federation
2367       Gowron becomes Chancellor of the Klingon Empire
2367       The Federaton and the Cardassian Union sign a peace treaty
2369       Cardassian occupation of Bajor ends
2369       Starfleet takes posession of Deep Space 9
2369       Bajor wormhole discovered.  Starfleet begins exploring the Gamma Quadrant
2369       Deep Space 9 Season 1 (Captain Sisqo)
2370       The Next Generation Season 7
2370       The Federation encounters the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant, in which
           the U.S.S. Odyssey is destroyed by a Jem'Hedar ship
2371       The Federation and the Romulans begin cooperating in their struggle
           against the Dominion.  The Romulans give the Federation cloaking technology
2371       Voyager Season 1 (Captain Janeway)
2373       The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant and attacks the Federation
           the Klingons, and the Cardassians.  The Cardassian homeworld is captured.
2374       The Romulans enter the war against the Dominion
2375       The Federation, Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians defeat the Dominion
           and eject them from the Alpha Quadrant
2375       Deep Space 9 Season 7
2387       Romulus destroyed by a supernova
2404       Voyager Season 7

Star Trek


Warp speed

Warp factor   Speed in light units

    1              1
    2             10
    3             39
    4            102
    5            214
    6            392
    7            656
    8           1024
    9           1516
    9.99        7912
   10         Infinite

Babylon 5

Distance from B5 to Earth is 37.5 light years, which is 3 days travel time.
Distance from B5 to Centauri Prime is 70 light years, which is 4 days of travel time.
The distance between B5 and Narn is 12.2 light years.


Battlestar Galactica


FTL speed

In the table, "warp speed" is the characteristic travel speed, "radius" is the radius of known space, and "time" is the number of years required to travel this radius.


                            Speed         Size of     Time to cross  Technologically
                                        known space    known space       legit?
                           ly/year          ly            years

Star Trek: Enterprise            200         1000         5                    Year 2151. Captain Archer
Star Trek: Original Series       400         6000        15                    Year 2266. Captain Kirk
Star Trek: Next Generation      2000         6000         3                    Year 2364. Captain Picard
Star Trek: Subspace message    53000         6000          .11
Babylon 5                      10000          200          .02
Battlestar Galactica: Humans    6000        10000         1.7
Battlestar Galactica: Cylons  100000        10000          .1
Star Wars                    2000000        60000          .03
Larry Niven, Bussard Ramjet         .03        60      2000                    Uses magnetic monopoles
Larry Niven, Hyperdrive I        122           60          .5                  Quantum I hyperdrive
Larry Niven, Hyperdrive II    421000           60          .000017             Quantum II hyperdrive
Stargate: Wraith               18000     10000000       560
Stargate: Goa'uld Ha'tak       32000     10000000       312
Stargate: Tau'ri             1300000     10000000         8
Stargate: Human            100000000     10000000          .1
Stargate: Tau'ri + ZPM     260000000     10000000          .04
Stargate: Ori             >300000000     10000000         <.03
Stargate: Wraith + ZPM   1.6 billion     10000000          .006
Stargate: Asgard           4 billion     10000000          .003
Stargate: Lantean          6 billion     10000000          .002
Stargate: Replicators     18 billion     10000000          .0006
Stargate: Wormhole       100 blllion     10000000          .0001
Hydrogen+Oxygen rocket              .00003       .001    33              *
Fission thermal H rocket            .00004       .001    25              *     Powered by fission
Fission afterburner rocket          .0001        .001    10              *     Powered by fission
Ion rocket                          .0003        .001     3.3            *     Powered by fission
Fusion rocket                       .06          .001      .017          *
Black hole rocket                   .2        100      2000              *     Use the Oberth maneuver near a spinning black hole

For the hydrogen+oxygen rocket, "known space" corresponds to the solar system.

The characteristic distance between black holes is 30 light years.

In Battlestar Galactica, a ship makes jumps in hyperspace. Human ships travel 5 light years per jump and they can do 3 jumps per day. Cylon ships can jump 100 light years.


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© Jason Maron, all rights reserved.

Data from Wikipedia unless otherwise specified.