Laozi writes the Tao Te Ching
The mysterious Laozi’s ancient wisdom may be hard to translate, but the meaning is clear — learning to be self-aware could improve modern life.
East Asia
Humans of the Zhou dynasty in modern-day China invent the gear
Gears almost always produce a change in torque, creating a mechanical advantage, through their gear ratio, and thus may be considered a simple machine.
The ancient Chinese, perhaps of the Zhou Dynasty, invent the trip hammer
A trip hammer, also known as a tilt hammer or helve hammer, is a massive powered hammer used in agriculture, mining, finery forges, and a variety of other applications.
Humans of ancient China invent cuju, perhaps the earliest precursor to soccer/football
Invented in the Han Dynasty, cuju is recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of association football for which there is evidence, being first mentioned as an exercise in a Chinese military work from 3rd-2nd century B.C.E.
Sun Tzu writes the Art of War
The Art of War remains the most influential strategy text in East Asian warfare. It has a profound influence on both Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond.
Confucius, a great Chinese philosopher, is born
Confucianism is a philosophical system encompassing ideology, culture and academia, brought together by Confucius, then followed and developed by successive generations of his disciples over the past 2,500 years.
Chinese bronze inscriptions come into use in modern-day China
The bronze inscriptions are one of the earliest scripts in the Chinese family of scripts.
The Zhou Dynasty rises to power in China
The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history. The military control of China by the royal house lasted initially from 1046 until 771 B.C.E.
Humans in ancient Chinese invent the sheng, an early polyphonic reed instrument
The sheng is a Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. It is a polyphonic instrument and enjoys an increasing popularity as a solo instrument. It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments
Jin City, known now as Beijing, is established as a city
Beijing City was established over 3,000 years ago and was called Jin City in the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century B.C.E. – 771 B.C.E.).