While China is credited for a whole range of discoveries before the West, it was overtaken in technological terms by Europe during the Scientific Revolution (c.16th-18th century). Arguably, what was the reason for this?
Answer: Glass. While glass production was perfected in Europe and used for a whole host of inventions, from spectacles to the telescope, it was rarely used in China. Glass had predominately been used for children’s toys and none at all was produced in China between the 14th and the 19th century.
Source: The Second Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
More at: History
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