Marco Polo publishes his tales of his journey to China
The Travels of Marco Polo, is a 13th-century travelogue describing Polo’s travels through Asia between 1271 and 1295, and his experiences at the court of Kublai Khan.
China
The Chinese of the Song Dynasty invent the fishing reel
A fishing reel is a cylindrical device attached to a fishing rod used in winding and stowing line.
The Chinese of the Song Dynasty invent the fire lance
The fire lance was a very early gunpowder weapon that appeared in 10th century China during the Jin-Song Wars.
The Chinese of the Song Dynasty invent dry docks
A dry dock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform.
Early versions of the Bessemer process for producing steel are invented in East Asia
Economic historian Robert Hartwell writes that the Chinese of the Song Dynasty innovated a “partial decarbonization” method of repeated forging of cast iron under a cold blast.
Bi Sheng of China's Song Dynasty invents movable type
The world’s first movable type printing press technology for printing paper books was made of porcelain materials and was invented around C.E. 1040 in China during the Northern Song Dynasty by the inventor Bi Sheng.
The Song Dynasty begins in modern-day China
The Song dynasty was an era of Chinese history that began in 960 and continued until 1279.
Gunpowder is invented in China
Experimenting with life-lengthening elixirs around C.E. 850, Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder.
The ancient Chinese of the Tang Dynasty invent fireworks
In China, pyrotechnicians were respected for their knowledge of complex techniques in mounting firework displays. Chinese people originally believed that the fireworks could expel evil spirits and bring about luck and happiness.
Kaiyuan Za Bao, perhaps the world's first magazine is published for the first time in China
Kaiyuan Za Bao, or Kaiyuan Chao Bao, Bulletin of the Court, was an official publication which first appeared in the 8th century, during the Kaiyuan era. It has been described as the first Chinese newspaper or official gazette, and also as the world’s first magazine.