Have you ever wondered who invented toothpaste or chocolate? Here are five astonishing ancient inventions that is very interesting to learn about.
Toothpaste was invented around 7,000 years ago. We brush our teeth in the morning to look after our teeth. And although our toothpaste only really started to be developed about 150 years ago, people have been brushing their teeth for 7,000 years. Can you guess which group of people came up with the first ever toothpaste? It was the Ancient Egyptians. They used to mix together burned egg shells, ox hooves, pumice, and ashes.
High heels weren’t just for dressing up and looking nice. Today, you might see adults wearing high heels
to dress up for a fancy dinner or even smaller heels for going to work. But did you know high heeled shoes are about 1,000 years old? In 10th century Persia, high heeled shoes were a part of the army’s uniform. The heels would help give the warriors on horseback more grip in the stirrups.
Alarm clocks are probably older than you think. Now we use our phones and our mums and dads probably used a little clock beside their bed when they were younger. But the Ancient Greeks did it first.
2,500 years ago, a Greek philosopher, a person who thinks about big questions, Plato, is credited with inventing the first water alarm clock. Water would drip for a chosen length of time. Once it filled the first container, it would then fall quickly into the next container which was closed up, meaning the air inside would make a whistling noise as the water forced its way in. That’s a complicated way to wake up in time for school.
Chocolate has been enjoyed for around 3,000 years. The Ancient Mayans, this was an ancient civilization that lived where our modern day Mexico is, used to use chocolate in important traditions and rituals. But this didn’t mean it was only kept for the wealthy and powerful. Anthropologists, historians who studied human cultures and societies, found that the Mayans probably ate chocolate with every meal. They would mix it with other things like chilies and honey.
Hot tubs might be even older than chocolate. Chocolate was being eaten for the first time 3,000 years ago, but 4,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians were relaxing in lovely, warm hot tubs. The ancient Egyptians used to wash up to four times a day, and a wealthy would have their own hot tubs in their homes. Can you guess how they heated the water up? They used to put red hot stones in the water. Ouch. Better watch where you sit.
We hope you enjoyed learning more things about ancient inventions as much as we loved teaching you about them. Now that you know how majestic these inventions are, you can move on to learn about other ones like: Plaster Cast, Defibrillator, Pneumatic Tyre, Ejector Seat, Microwave ovens, Computer, 90’s Inventions, Radio, Telephone and Ice Cream.
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