A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins

"A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins" is one of the best-known works by the German scientific author Johann Beckmann in which he relates the origin, history and recent condition of the various machines, utensils, etc., employed in trade and for domestic purposes. This work entitles Beckmann to be regarded as the founder of scientific technology, a term which he was the first to use in 1772. Volume 1: Italian Book-keeping Odometer Machine for noting down Music Refining Gold and Silver Ore by Quicksilver Cold or Dry Gilding Gold Varnish Tulips Canary Bird Archil Magnetic Cures Secret Poison Wooden Bellows Coaches Water-clocks, Clepsydras Tourmaline Speaking-trumpet Ananas, Pine-apple Sympathetic Ink Diving-bell Coloured Glass, Artificial Gems Sealing-wax Corn-mills Verdigris, or Spanish Green Saffron Alum Falconry Turf Artichoke Saw-mills Stamped Paper Insurance Adulteration of Wine Artificial Pearls Paving of Streets Collections of Natural Curiosities Chimneys Hungary Water Cork Apothecaries Clocks and Watches Quarantine Paper-hangings Kermes, Cochineal Writing-pens Wire-drawing Buck-wheat Saddles Stirrups Horse-shoes Floating of Wood Lace Ultramarine Cobalt, Zaffer, Smalt Turkeys Butter Aurum Fulminans Garden-flowers Volume 2: The Steam-Engine, and Discoveries of J. Watt Lending and Pawnbroking Chemical Names of Metals Zinc Carp Camp-mills Mirrors Glass-cutting, Etching on Glass Soap Madder Jugglers, Rope-dancers, Automata… Artificial Ice. Cooling Liquors Hydrometer Lighting of Streets Night-watch Plant-skeletons Bills of Exchange Tin. Tinning Sowing-machines Manganese Prince Rupert's Drops, Lacrymæ Vitreæ Fire-engines Indigo Vanes, Weathercocks Gilding Fur Dresses Steel Stamping-works Kitchen Vegetables Knitting Nets and Stockings, Stocking-Loom Hops Black Lead Sal-Ammoniac Forks Lottery, Tontine Bologna Stone Foundling Hospitals Orphan Houses Infirmaries, Hospitals for Invalids, Field Lazarettos Cock-fighting Saltpetre, Gunpowder, Aquafortis Book-censors Exclusive Privilege for Printing Books Catalogues of Books Ribbon-Loom Guns, Gun-Locks