Early Inventions...!st to 5th millenium

1st–5th centuries

• 1–100 CE: Junk ship in China
• 1–100 CE: Junk rudder in China^[56]
• 38 CE: Hydraulic-powered bellows: Du Shi
• 50 CE: Mouldboard plough in China and Gaul
• 77 CE: Encyclopedia (comprehensive work): Pliny the Elder^[19]
• 78–139: Hydraulic-powered armillary sphere: Zhang Heng
• 100s: steam engine vending machine syringe force pump: Hero of Alexandria in Roman Egypt
• 2nd century: water sluice in water management Sri Lanka
• 2nd century: Lateen sail by Greco-Roman sailors^{[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66]}
• 2nd century: Steam power: Hero of Alexandria in Roman Egypt
• 2nd century: Vending machine: Hero of Alexandria
• 2nd century: Force pump: Hero of Alexandria
• 2nd century: Carding in India^[67]
• 105: Paper: Cai Lun in China^[68]
• 132: Rudimentary Seismometer: Zhang Heng in China
• 180: Rotary fan: Ding Huan in China
• 180: Winnowing fan: Ding Huan in China^{[citation needed]}
• 3rd century: Kongming lantern (Hot air balloon) in China
• 3rd century: Horseshoes in Germany
• 200–400: Stepwell in India^[69]
• Combination lock in Roman Empire^[70]
• 4th century: Toothpaste in Roman Egypt
• 4th century: Crystallized Sugar in India
• 5th century: Horse collar in China
• Fore-and-aft rig in India^[71]
• Kamal in India^[72]
• Prayer wheel: Tibet^[73]
• Three-masted merchant vessel in China^[74]
• Woodblock printing in China

[edit]6th–8th centuries

Ian Wilmut Headed team that produced the first cloned sheep - Dolly (1997)

Dolly the Sheep Creator Knighted2007 12 31

From: 

Professor Ian Wilmut, the scientist who created Dolly the sheep through genetic cloning, has been knighted in the New Year Honours list.
Prof Wilmut, 63, said he was "surprised and delighted" by his knighthood and stressed that it was a recognition to be shared by his research colleagues. 
As a boy, his early ambition was to go to sea - either in the Royal Navy or the merchant service.

But colour-blindness foiled his plan and led instead to a career in science.

Scotland's best known scientist, Prof Wilmut became interested in farming and began working on farms at weekends at the age of 14.

This led him to study agriculture at Nottingham University in anticipation of becoming a dairy farmer until a summer holiday working in a science laboratory led to a lifelong interest in embryology.

'Revolutionising biology'
Prof Wilmut and his team at the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, created Dolly in 1996 and unveiled her publicly early in 1997.

After she became a worldwide sensation, Prof Wilmut told the US Academy of Achievement website: "The fact that the whole animal comes from a single cell is really an extraordinary thing, and it's fascinating to try to understand it more.

"But back then it was simply wanting to understand how to improve milk production, how to improve fertility, and the collection of milk."

Last month, Prof Wilmut announced that he was abandoning the cloning of human embryos in stem cell research in favour of a new technique developed in Japan.

The citation for his knighthood credits Prof Wilmut with "revolutionising" biology through the cloning technique which underpins the science of stem cell technology.

The citation also says he has shown an "outstanding" commitment to bringing the benefits of basic science to medical treatment.

His role at the Roslin Institute in cloning Dolly the sheep, the world's first clone from an adult cell, led to an OBE in 1999 and he has been elected a fellow of five scientific academies worldwide.

Prof Wilmut now heads the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh University, which brings together experts from the Institute for Stem Cell Research and scientists and clinicians from Edinburgh University's medical school.