We owe most of modern life's conveniences to technological advancements that spare us from otherwise laborious tasks. However, while we think of them as being recently invented, some of them actually trace their origins further back in time.
Whether they were lost and rediscovered, or someone else coincidentally had the very same ideas, here are four relatively modern technologies that are actually way older:
Seismometers
Modern seismographic equipment, or simply seismometers, trace their origins to the designs developed by John Milne, Thomas Gray, and James Alfred Ewing—British and Scottish scientists assigned in Japan from 1880 to 1895.
Seismometers use a damped horizontal pendulum that would move as soon as the Earth started shaking. While there were rudimentary predecessors for seismometers in France in 1703 and even in Persia in the 13th century, the oldest known records for this device dates back to 132 A.D. in China.
Han dynasty polymath Zhang Heng invented the "Houfeng Didong Yi." The exact mechanism of how it operates remains unclear, but it had dragon heads at eight points that open in the event of an earthquake, dropping a bronze ball onto a toad at the base, making a sound at the direction of the quake.
Flamethrowers
Flamethrowers for military use are largely prohibited under the United Nations' Protocol on Incendiary Weapons. The most recent surge in these fiery devices was when Elon Musk, through The Boring Company, sold an item called "Not A Flamethrower" in 2018.
Flamethrowers were last widely used during the first and second World Wars, invented during the early 20th century.
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However, it seems that shortly after fire was discovered and men knew its dangers, the next step was learning how to throw it unto their enemies.
The flamethrower's most famous ancestor is the Greek fire, which involved a flame-throwing weapon used to light enemy ships on fire. Its resemblance to modern flamethrowers include the projection of the flammable substance, which stuck and supposedly burned even on water, through a pressurized nozzle. As a closely-guarded secret of the Byzantine empire, its exact composition and the mechanism used were lost in history.
Toothpaste
We see the modern toothpaste as a mix of chemicals that helps clean the teeth and keep that fresh breath. Modern toothpaste started finding its solid ground for the masses sometime in the 18th century, when a published recipe for British and American "toothpaste" included burnt bread, others having cinnamon, resins, and even burnt alum. Later improving into the toothpaste we now know and love.
Toothpastes, in its most basic functions of cleaning teeth and removing leftovers, can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians in 5,000 BC. Some of them mixed rock salt, mint, dried iris flowers, peppers, and myrrh. Though they risked bleeding gums, it got them clean teeth and fresh breath. It was even found to be more effective at cleaning teeth that toothpastes we had a century ago.
Alarm Clock
Not everyone is used to waking up early in the morning. As human beings, we need our adequate sleep and sometimes the body works against our better judgement. One of the invaluable devices that has saved jobs and students throughout history is the alarm clock.
The first patent for an adjustable mechanical alarm clock was filed by the French inventor Antoine Redier in 1847. However, alarm clocks have been used in clock towers in Europe and temples in Asia, mostly to inform people of the time of day.
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CHICAGO - MARCH 21: ClearSounds introduces their Wake and Shake alarm Clock at the International Home and Housewares show March 21, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois. The clock makes noise, flashes lights and has a vibrating pad the slides under a pillow.
The first recorded use of an alarm clock dates back to Plato in ancient Greece. He had a water clock that made a sound in the night, believed to rouse the philosopher before he starts his lectures at dawn.
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