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The Bronze Age c3200-1200 BC
‘During the Bronze Age (about 3,000 B.C. to 1,300 B.C.), metalworking advances were made, as bronze, a copper and tin alloy, was discovered. Now used for weapons and tools, the harder metal replaced its stone predecessors, and helped spark innovations including the ox-drawn plow and the wheel. This time period also brought…
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The Iron Age c1200 BC-100 AD
‘The discovery of ways to heat and forge iron kicked off the Iron Age (roughly 1,300 B.C. to 900 B.C.). At the time, the metal was seen as more precious than gold, and wrought iron (which would be replaced by steel with the advent of smelting iron) was easier to manufacture than bronze. Along with mass production of steel…
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The beginning of recording human civilization
‘At the start of prehistoric times, our ancestors most likely lived in caves, to shield from danger and bad weather. They started making huts that were similar to teepees from sticks and animal skins. Because they were hunter gatherers, they needed to move around a lot to find new food, so it was important that their homes…
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The Glass Age 1300-present
‘The end of the Iron Age is generally considered to coincide with the Roman Conquests, and history books tell us that it was succeeded by Antiquity and then the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until the 1300s that another material, glass, could lay claim to a material age. Glass in its natural form has been with us since lightning…
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The Steel Age 1800s-present
‘The development of steel can be traced back 4000 years to the beginning of the Iron Age. Proving to be harder and stronger than bronze, which had previously been the most widely used metal, iron began to displace bronze in weaponry and tools. For the following few thousand years, however, the quality of iron produced…
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The Steel Age 1800s-present
‘With more than 1.6 billion tonnes of steel produced globally each year, steel is one of the most abundant man-made materials on the planet today. An alloy, it is made up almost exclusively of iron (as much as 99 per cent), while its secondary component carbon contributes up to 2 per cent by weight. Carbon is added to…
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The Aluminium Age 1800s-present
'The story of aluminum’s history of use in the U.S. now stretches over 100 years. The start was a modest one, however. Because of the complexities of refining aluminum from ore, aluminum was considered more rare and precious than gold or silver through most of the 19th century. A pure form of the metal was first…
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The Aluminium Age 1800s-present
‘Given that it is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, aluminium was always going to play a leading role as an engineering material. The problem has always been that it only rarely occurs naturally in pure metallic form and is locked away chemically in 270 different minerals. Despite the difficulties in extracting…
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The Aluminium Age 1800s-present
‘Given that it is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, aluminium was always going to play a leading role as an engineering material. The problem has always been that it only rarely occurs naturally in pure metallic form and is locked away chemically in 270 different minerals. Despite the difficulties in extracting…
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The Plastic Age 1907-present
The following week the students arrive at class even before Rip. They are loving this class and hope that he has plans for future classes. The school bell rings and Rip apologizes when he walks in for not being in class earlier. “I had a meeting with the principal,” says Rip. “He wants me to teach another class so if you…
