#1 The Abacus
The Chinese are responsible for inventing the Abacus. It was developed as a counting device in 100AD. Over the years, improvements have been made to this device. The abacus has a wooden frame and parallel rods. Each of the rods holds beads. The beads are worth values in the powers of 10. Since the invention of the calculator, the abacus hasn’t been used in counting. It has, however, been turned into an exciting toy for toddlers.
#2 Ice Cream
Ice cream is a delicious treat that is eaten all around the world. It is also one of the tastiest Chinese inventions that changed the world. There is actually no specific origin of ice cream. We don’t even really know where it was invented, however, there is a very good chance that it was the Chinese. In 200 BC, the Chinese invented a variation of the delicious, cold treat using a frozen mixture of milk and rice. According to the history books, Marco Polo took the recipe for this frozen treat back to Europe. He also took the recipe for noodles.
#3 Playing Cards
If you love a good game of poker, thank the Chinese. The first culture to use playing cards was the Chinese. In Imperial China, during the Tang Dynasty, the royals played the leaf game. Back then, characters from novels were printed on the cards. There are several scholars and historians of ancient China that believe that playing cards were the first form of paper currency. This is because both money and cards were often traded when betting.
#4 Toilet Paper
If you want to thank someone for making it possible to wipe after you use the bathroom, you should thank the Chinese. Paper was invented in China in 200 BC. About 700 years later, the first use of toilet paper was documented. According to historians, toilet paper was reserved for only the Emperor and the Imperial Court. In 851 AD, an Arab traveler passed through China, and he wrote that the Chinese don’t wash up with soap and water after they have done their necessities. (This is a nice way of saying going to the bathroom). He wrote that they only wiped themselves with paper. Considering that the Chinese invented toilet paper, it is strange that most public restrooms don’t provide toilet paper.
#5 Ketchup
The next time you have a burger at a barbecue and you reach for the ketchup, you should thank the Chinese. During the 17th century, China created a sauce using spices and pickled fish and called it ke-chiap. When the sauce recipe moved to Indonesia and then Malaysia, a few things were changed. When the English explorers go their hands on the recipe in 1805, they added tomatoes and anchovies. By the middle of 1850, the anchovies were removed. The Chinese may not have invented the ketchup that we use today, however, they get the ball rolling.
#6 The Umbrella
It was actually Egyptians who invented the first umbrella by tying palm leaves to sticks. Unfortunately, these early umbrellas weren’t waterproof. These Egyptian umbrellas were better for blocking out the sun than the rain. The first waterproof umbrella was invented in China during the 11th century BC. They would take silk umbrellas and coat them with lacquer and wax. This kept the Emperor dry during the rain. Soon, it caught on and everyone in China was carrying a waterproof umbrella.
#7 Nail Polish
The next time that you get a manicure, you should thank the Chinese. Over 5,000 years ago, during the Ming Dynasty, nail polish was invented. Back then, they used a combination of egg whites, gum Arabic, beeswax, dyes, and gelatin. Over the last 5,000 years, we have improved the recipe greatly, however, it was the Chinese who first came up with the idea.
#8 The Flamethrower
If you have ever seen a good action movie with amazing explosions, chances are you have seen a flame thrower. What you may not know is that this weapon was invented in 919 AD in China. The weapon ran on a very early form of gasoline, which was called fire oil. This fire oil became famous quickly because it could not be doused by water. Unfortunately for the Chinese military, this weapon killed their enemies, but them as well. Many soldiers were killed when the violent winds swept the fire up in their direction.
#9 Fireworks
The next time you are at a 4th of July fireworks display, you should thank the Chinese. The Chinese are the ones who discovered the quick ignition of niter and sulfur. This is how they created gunpowder. Soon after, they realized how useful gun powder would be for military purposes, they realized that it would be useful for special effects during acrobat and magician shows. It didn’t take long for the rest of the world to see how amazing fireworks were. Today, they are used for many holidays all over the world.
#10 Homemade Car
This is a homemade car, designed and built by three Chinese college students. It is one of the world’s smallest cars, and it is capable of going 37 miles per hour. When you get in the car, someone would put the cover on, and you would steer from the inside. It isn’t the safest mode of transportation, therefore, the driver should wear a helmet. You don’t want to hit a moving object at 37 miles an hour without protection.
