Early Modern (15th-18th Century)

Everything's relative. Speed, mass, space and time are all subjective. Nor are age, motion or the wanderings of the planets measures that humans can agree on anymore; they can be judged only by the whim of the observer. Light has weight. Space has curves. And coiled within a pound of matter, any matter, is the explosive power of 14 million tons of TNT. We know all this, we are set adrift in this way at the end of the 20th century, because of Albert Einstein.

Engineering timeline is the name we have given to any combination of items or events in the history of engineering which can be located on a map of the UK.
On this site, the results of any search you make are shown as a dot or series of dots on a map. Next to the map, the search results are listed in chronological order. These form the engineering timeline, linking elements of engineering history across time and place.

What have Astronomy, Photography, Engineering and Horticulture got in common ? Obviously they are branches of the sciences, but there is a less obvious link, a family and their home in almost the exact centre of Ireland.
A few clues, between 1845 and 1915, the world's largest telescope, the invention of the steam turbine in 1884 and the world's first steam turbine powered ship in 1897.
The castle and estate at Birr, Co. Offaly in Ireland, has been owned by the Parsons family for over 300 years. In this time, Birr castle demense has seen a host of scientific and technological achievement, much of which has changed the world. To help preserve this heritage for future generations, the ``Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation'' was formed.

Explorer, navigational expert, mathematician, scientist and astronomer Thomas Harriot was born in Oxford about 1560. In 1577 he entered St. Mary's Hall (a subsidiary of Oriel College) and in 1580, shortly after he was graduated B.A., he joined the household of Walter Ralegh. There he prepared Arcticon, a navigational text which has not survived. He also encouraged Ralegh to follow in the footsteps of Sir Humphrey Gilbert in exploring and colonizing the New World. After Gilbert's death in 1583, Ralegh, with Harriot's help, prepared for an expedition to America. Although Ralegh hoped to command the 1584 voyage, Queen Elizabeth would not permit him to do so. Harriot may have gone on this voyage because there is some evidence that it was at this time that he learned the Algonquian language.

Prehistoric Era: Cranial Trephination
The purpose of cranial trephination, as practiced by prehistoric groups was largely to treat traumatic head injuries. Some trephinations were performed to treat headaches and seizure disorder. There were three main methods: Cutting, Scraping, Grooving and Drilling.

During that historic period known as the Renaissance, after the "dark" Middle Ages, there occurred the inventions of printing, gunpowder and the mariner's compass, followed by the discovery of America. Equally remarkable was the invention of the microscope: an instrument that enables the human eye, by means of a lens or combinations of lenses, to observe enlarged images of tiny objects. It made visible the fascinating details of worlds within worlds.

These online MUSEUMS are dedicated to the PRESERVATION of TELEGRAPH and SCIENTIFIC History, Lore, and Instrumentation: These are no-frills museums designed for rapid and easy searching and downloading to facilitate research by serious collectors and historians but accessible to anyone who is interested in telegraph and scientific instruments. As a telegraph operator and collector for over 50 years, I have assembled a collection of over 3000 telegraph and scientific instruments and photographs. I am always looking to acquire or photograph very old and unusual keys and instruments!!

Then + Now
A brief overview of this Web site that compares what we knew in 1900 to what we know today
That's My Theory
Meet some of the scientists who made twentieth century history on this made-for-the-Web game show
On the Edge
These comic-book style stories take you back through time and present scientists soon after they made their discoveries

The technology of modern remote sensing began with the invention of the camera more than 150 years ago. Although the first, rather primitive photographs were taken as "stills" on the ground, the idea and practice of looking down at the Earth's surface emerged in the 1840s when pictures were taken from cameras secured to tethered balloons for purposes of topographic mapping. Perhaps the most novel platform at the end of the last century is the famed pigeon fleet that operated as a novelty in Europe. By the first World War, cameras mounted on airplanes provided aerial views of fairly large surface areas that proved invaluable in military reconnaissance. From then until the early 1960s, the aerial photograph remained the single standard tool for depicting the surface from a vertical or oblique perspective.

In accordance with the mandate to study the "Transformation of Canada," the collection of the Canada Science and Technology Museum encompasses a broad cross-section of Canadian scientific and technological heritage. National in scope, this unique collection consists of artifacts, photographs, technical drawings, trade literature, and rare books, all of which are complemented and supported by library holdings of monographs and serials.