Chess

Chess originated in India in the 6th century AD. “Check” and “checkmate” were added into the game by the persians. The Muslims changed the pieces into abstract objects instead of people and animals. Under Christan influence the pieces became people and animals once again. Chess teaches military strategy and math skills. Pawns represent standard infantry (foot soldiers), knights are the main attacker, the bishop represents a church clergyman, the rook represents a fortified offensive, the queen is the strongest piece in the game, the king is the most important piece. Chess is full of possible strategies especially thanks to promotion Chess spread to Europe by the Muslims through Spain and the Byzantine Empire. It spread because of its social and military value.  

Arquebus 

The arquebus began as the hand cannon in China in the 13th century. They were simple, a barrel and a handle, and a series of innovations improved the hand cannon. Early versions weren’t effective long-range weapons; stronger guns were needed by the 15th century to penetrate plate armor. The arquebus is the ancestor of the musket and rifle. Its accuracy was greatly improved over previous efforts It was also much more powerful than the hand cannons. It made warfare cheaper. The king of Hungary was the first to heavily stock his army. 25% of his army carried an arquebus. It was quicker to train soldiers to fire than to learn archery. 

Printing Press

China invented woodblock printing in the 700s AD. Movable type was in Asia by the 1200s AD. By the 1400s, Europe had paper and high labor costs associated with scribes. Johan Gutenberg applied his knowledge of metalworking to invent the printing press. It is the single most important invention faster and cheaper in the last l,000 years. Books could now be printed faster and cheaper. 3,600 pages a day could be printed and about 10 books. It had little impact in Asia. The printing press spread rapidly throughout Europe. 

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