Prehistory to 999 - Thousands of years after humans started using fire to illuminate the night, Greek and Arab scholars begin to formulate theories of how light is propagated, how it can be reflected and refracted, and how it is perceived by the eyes. 1000 to 1599 - Arab and Chinese scholars experiment with light, lenses, and mirrors for several hundred years, but interest wanes. In Medieval Europe, Copernicus launches the scientific revolution with his shocking theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun. 1700 to 1799 - Newton publishes Opticks , discussing the corpuscular theory of light, scientists establish procedures for the scientific method, Herschel discovers Uranus, and a few scientists begin to study electricity. 1900 to 1933 - Einstein and Planck revolutionize physics, physicists now regard light as both a wave and a particle, radio becomes a popular broadcast communications medium, television is invented, and Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
Space exploration begins.
1967 to 1999 - Video games are invented, people visit the Moon, robots visit Mars, and personal computers launch the digital revolution. Lasers and fiber optics create new media for communications, information storage, and entertainment. Cyberspace becomes a reality with the creation of the Internet and the World Wide Web. If you believe you have found a mistake or wish to make a comment or suggestion, please send us an email . All Rights Reserved .