• Gunpowder and other chemicals allowed the Chinese to create fireworks.fireworks display image by BHughes Photography from Fotolia.com
  
  Modern technology is an evolution of seemingly simple advances in human history. Word processor programs, for example, are essentially digital typewriters. Typewriters trace their roots back to simple paper and pen. The Chinese are responsible for many inventions, including the first printing press made in 593 A.D. (according to Minnesota-China Connection). Four other influential inventions include the compass, gunpowder, silk and pasta.
  
  

Compass

• According to Oracle ThinkQuest, reports of compass use by the Chinese occurred as early as the third century B.C. The compass was made by using a piece of lodestone and balancing it on a round bronze plate. The loadstone, due to its magnetic qualities, would orientate itself on the bronze plate due to the Earth's magnetic field. Zheng He first used a crude compass to navigate the oceans.
  
  

Gunpowder

• Sometime after 800 A.D., the Chinese discovered that mixtures of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal reacted violently when set afire. This black powder, known as gunpowder, was used to power rockets and other projectiles. According to Time Line Index, from this invention, the Chinese were able to create cannons.
  
  

Silk

• Over 4,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered that if they dropped the cocoon of a silkworm moth into a pot of boiling water, the threads of the cocoon would unwind. These silk threads were then used to weave clothing and to make other silk fabrics. According to Enchanted Learning, silk became an important resource for the Chinese; the process they used to make it was secret and other cultures enjoyed the soft and durable nature of the fabric.
  
  

Pasta

• Typically, the Italians get credit for creating pasta but the Chinese had actually come up with a recipe for pasta as early as 1700 B.C. (according to The Nibble). The Chinese used rice flour to form pasta and it became a staple in many of their dishes. As trade increased between Europe and Asia, European settlers came to recognize the nutritional value of pasta and started bringing back the starchy noodles to use in their own cuisines (according to Minnesota-China Connection).
  
  

Other Inventions

• The Chinese are also credited with many other inventions including tea, porcelain, grain storage and other scientific advances. To learn more about Chinese inventions, see the link in the Resource section and visit your local library to borrow books about China.