Essay on the Three Influential Innovators

The middle ages, also known as the Dark Age, saw a rapid growth in innovation. The times were characterized by war and violence which lead to the name dark ages. Despite the war and violence, there was a class of people who were innovative and came up with innovations that influence up to date. In this paper, a discussion on three significant innovators has been laid down. A description of the time the innovators lived and what motivated them to develop the innovation.

Roger Bacon. The man behind the invention of the first eyeglass n 1268. Born in England, Ilchester. He was the first to produce a written comment on the use of glasses. Having lived in the ages that were filed with educational change, he was a lecturer on physiology. He discussed the anatomy of the eye and the brain. (Bridges, pt V) The need for glasses to aid readers was essential. The first glasses were said to be a convex lens. These are lenses that are used by the longsighted.

The use of lenses to make eyeglasses is widely used today. A significant percentage of the companies that produce eyeglasses use the roger bacon concept. Eyeglasses are up to date made from glass lens. The modern eyeglasses have borrowed 80% of its structure and components from the old glasses. They are essential as many people are using glasses to improve their eyesight, and as protection from dust and sun rays.

The eyeglass industry has even gone further and produced the swimming glass which enables one to see through water when swimming. Using the same knowledge, Different kind of lenses has been made. Without an improvement in eyesight for the people with a problem in their vision, it could be tough for them to make it in life. Without sight, the opportunities of a person are limited. This shows how influential and essential the innovation of glass was and still is know.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. Born in 1395 in a family with knowledge on bookmaking, he started experimenting on the movable type. The need for education and rise of universities in this period may have been the main course of his innovation. The invention of the printing itself is much accredited to the old paper press wine and olive press' of the Mediterranean area. A printing press was a long handle which was used to turn a massive wooden screw which exerted a lot of pressure against the paper which was placed in a horizontal position over the type mounted on a plate made of wood. This enabled printing in large quantities. (Gowan, pg 87)

The knowledge of printing press has been improved from the production day to date. Printers have been produced with the improved feature. From the foundation set, we know have been able to print colored copies and deliver them in large amounts in a few time.

The printing press has contributed a lot to the modern world where it has made it possible for knowledge to reach many people who are willing and able to read. The printing press had also reduced the cost of books because before it was invented, books were costly .it have enabled production I large quantities. The production helps to preserve information; this is due to the high distribution of copies hence not easy to destroy the data. The level of literacy rose because people had exceptional access to information. It also creates employment for those employed to do printing hence it is a source of livelihood. It has also given people a chance to express their feelings, wants through writing.

The Treadwheel was invented by Archimedes of Syracuse who also designed the pulleys Treadwheel crane. The treadwheel crane is a crane which is made up of wood, and it is human powered. The Romans used it in building cathedrals where ancient people used to worship and castles where the royal families used to live (Matthies 1992, pg 545).

The rise of cities in the Dark Age is one of the main reasons that lead Archimedes to invent the treadwheel. There was a need to reduce the labor and make it easy for construction of high buildings. The wheel was mostly used in harbors, mines and specifically it is useful in building sites where the tread wheel plays the role of a pivot in construction. The invention of the wheelbarrow and the treadwheel did not completely replace other labor-intensive methods such as ladders, hobs and hand barrows. Both old and new inventions continued playing a role on medieval construction sites and harbors. The specific protocol by which the treadwheel was reintroduced is not recorded although its return in construction sites has been in question with a close relation with continuous rise of Gothic architecture (Matthies 1992, p. 515).The comeback of the treadwheel crane may have come as a result of the technological development of the windlass from which the treadwheel structurally and mechanically developed. In other words, the medieval treadwheel may represent an intentional reinvention of its Roman counterpart drawn from Vitruvius De architecture which was mostly found in many monastic libraries. The reinvention of the treadwheel may have been contributed and inspired as well as by the observation of the labor-saving qualities of water wheel which mostly were very similar and structurally the same with the treadwheel.

The medieval treadwheel was a giant wooden wheel which was rotating around a central shaft.it had a trodden way and had enough space which was enough for two workers to walk adjacently side by side. The earlier compass arm wheel was directly driven into the central shaft. A slight difference with the tread wheel because it was rotating around the axis but not directly as the compass arm wheel.

To date, the knowledge of this wheel has been applied in almost every aspect of engineering. Though they are now powered by engines, the engines themselves work as the wheel where it helps to turn a shaft which in turn supports in doing a particular labor. The construction crane has borrowed a lot from these wheels. Raising block and ballast in construction sites depends heavily on the knowledge of the wheels

In conclusion. Most of the modern day projects and products have their root in the ancient times. The machines and equipment we are using today have been improved systematically to produce what we see today. Most of the developers are using old knowledge to develop their items. It is inevitable to accept the fact that the technological foundation was laid down in the dark ages. According to my view. The most important innovation in that time was the eyeglasses to aid acquisition of knowledge. Followed by the printing press that made it easy to store information. And lastly, the treadwheel that enabled construction for shelter and development of cities. With the combination of the three. The world knows the best

Work cited

Gowan, Al, et al. A History of Graphic Design. Design Issues, vol. 1, no. 1, 1984, p. 87. doi:10.2307/1511549.

Bridges, John Henry, and Hedley Gordon. Jones. The life & work of Roger Bacon: an introduction to the Opus majus. Williams & Norgate, 1914.

Meggs, Philip B., Purvis, Alston W.History of Graphic Design. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2006. p.71.