Nobody in Europe knew about the extent or power of the Mongol Empire until young Marco Polo traveled across Asia in the 1280s. Years later, he returned to his native Venice with a sack of jewels and a pack of tall tales about lands of gigantic, rich cities, an opulent and sophisticated court, and advanced technology. Most of his contemporaries thought he was kidding. Here are two examples of Marco's stories that sounded crazy in 1290, but after a few centuries changed the world. It is true that they have plenty of wood also, but they do not burn it, because those stones burn better and cost less 1 .
Modern technology is based on burning rocks.
The story of the Industrial Revolution is how our lives changed when we learned how to burn coal to run ships and trains, and make electricity for motors and computers. Adopting oil and gas was also part of the story. In Medieval Europe, coins made of gold and silver were scarce and often of questionable quality. For he makes his money after this fashion. He makes them take the bark of a certain tree, in fact the Mulberry Tree, the leaves of which are the food of the silkworms, these trees being so numerous that whole districts are full of them.