When you search about the history of steel online, you will find out that there was seemingly a heated competition between different nations about who could produce the strongest metal. Syria had Damascus steel. In the far east, Japan was perfecting their swordsmithing with their katanas, known for its sharpness and rigidity. In the United Kingdom, they developed the crucible smelting and then innovated further with the Bessemer converter. This improved their steel production efficiencies.
But who got this all started? It was around the iron age when steel was discovered. This metal was produced by combining iron with carbon, and the first to do this was India. Theirs was called the wootz steel, and it was the beginning of the metal that revolutionized the weapons and construction industries.
The creation of steel solidifies India as one of the world’s innovators. There are many other discoveries and inventions from them. The following are some of their contributions to modern civilization:
The USB Port
Without the USB port, you still would be using a bunch of different cables to connect your devices to the PC. The USB created a unified standard for wired connectivity. Before, the back of PC towers were littered with ports of various shapes and sizes, and for the uninitiated would be a guessing game of which device connected to where. Now, take a look at the back of your PC, and you mostly will find two or more USB ports. Many devices now use this standard, including mice, keyboards, and printers. The co-inventor of the USB is Indian-born Ajay Bhatt.
Fiber Optics
You may be familiar with fiber optics as a way to deliver high-speed Internet service to your home. You basically have laser technology transmitting your connection. This travels by bouncing around the tube that is the fiber optic cable until it reaches your end. And since this is light, it reaches you in no time. Be careful with the cable, though. As it is made of glass, it should not be subject to bending, or else everything inside shatters. Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany is the person credited as the father of this technology.
Mathematics
Two major contributions to math came from India. These are the number zero and the decimal point.
Before, having a null value was represented as blank. Records are pointing to mathematician Brahmagupta as the first person to create a symbol for this. Initially using dots, it eventually became the round figure that we know and use today.
The decimal point has its origins traced to the ancient Indian mathematical system. Back then, there were multiple systems from different civilizations. The decimal point was recognized and gradually incorporated into these systems.
These are contributions that led to an easier understanding of numbers. The math that you know today is an amalgamation of the many systems that were used in ancient times.
India is home to many professionals, and it still making strides in various industries. Their nation itself is full of beautiful people, places, and traditions. They must be proud of their contributions to society.
