From Abacus To Zoetrope

THE DIAMOND SUTRA (*)

Here is but a sampling of Chinese inventions and discoveries cataloged by Joseph Needham and the date of first mention:

Abacus (AD 190)
Air-conditioning fan (AD 180)
Antimalarial drugs (3rd century BC)
Astronomical clock drive (AD 120)
Ball bearings (2nd century BC)
Belt drive (5th century BC)
Blast furnace (3rd century BC)
Book, printed (AD 868) (*)
Bridges, suspension (6th century AD)
Calipers (AD 9)
Cast iron (5th century BC)
Coinage (9th century BC)
Compass, magnetic needle (AD 1088)
Crop rotation (6th century BC)
Dating of trees by rings (12th century AD)
Draw loom (1st century AD)
Ephedrine (2nd century AD)
Fertilizers (2nd century BC)
Folding chairs (3rd century AD)
Gauges, rain and snow (AD 1247)
Grafting (AD 806)
Gunpowder (9th century AD)
Harness, breast strap (250 BC)
Hygrometer (120 BC)
Kite (4th century BC)
Ladders, extendable (4th century BC)
Maps, relief (AD 1086)
Melodic composition (AD 475)
Mouth organs (9th century BC)
Noodles (AD 100)
Paper (300 BC)
Paper, toilet (AD 589)
Parachute principle (8th century AD)
Pasteurization of wine (AD 1117)
Pi, accurate estimation of (3rd century AD)
Playing cards (AD 969)
Porcelain (3rd century BC)
Refraction (4th century BC)
Rotary fan (1st century BC)
Seawalls (AD 80)
Seismograph (AD 132)
Ships, paddle-wheel (5th century AD)
Silk, earliest spinning of (2850 BC)
Soil science (ecology) (5th century BC)
Sterilization by steaming (AD 980)
Stirrup (AD 300)
Thyroid treatment (1st century BC)
Toothbrush (9th century AD)
Trip hammers (2nd century BC)
Vinegar (2nd century BC)
Weather vane (120 BC)
Windlass, well (120 BC)
Winnowing machine (1st century BC)
Zoetrope (AD 180)