The document summarizes key inventions during the Renaissance period that helped advance modern business and industry. It discusses the development of the mechanical clock in the 1300s and the pendulum clock in 1581, which allowed for more accurate tracking of time important for business. It also describes Johannes Gutenberg's printing press in 1440, which enabled more efficient production of books, newspapers, and other printed materials crucial for marketing and spreading information. Newspapers first emerged in the 1600s and helped advertise local businesses. Other innovations discussed include the matchlock gun in 1475, which made firearms practical and drove exploration, as well as Leonardo da Vinci's designs that advanced infrastructure, such as cranes, and transportation, with concepts like the ornith

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Kyle Collins
Mrs. Sandberg
English 12 CP
December 7, 2015
The Birth of Modern Industry
Christmas is a busy time of year in which everyone is out getting the special deals,
working the long days, and sucking up all the overtime they can get. Hidden underneath the
reason of the season, business can be found almost anywhere. From the ads that can be found in
magazines, to factories that are cranking out products as fast as they can, business has come a
long way since the silk road that connected Asia and Europe. The Renaissance is what allows
people to celebrate the season in the way that most are accustomed too. It created the modern
industry and business that people are familiar with today.
One of the most sought after resources in today's business world is time. It allows
businessman to make or lose money off of interest and clock in or out. According to “Inventions
of the Renaissance,” “The first mechanical clock was invented in the early 1300’s.” From this
invention came time itself. Before the mechanical clock days were not recognized as 24 hour
cycles. However great this invention was for modern business it had its flaws right away. The
mechanical clock could be up to 15 minutes inaccurate day to day. This transition in the clock's
history took a long time to overcome. Almost 300 years later in 1581, Galileo learned how to use
a pendulum (“Inventions”). Now what was a matter of minutes turned into seconds. This gave
the world a reliable clock in which they could use to conduct their business. Without a reliable
clock workers for know when to clock in or out, and they would have inaccurate hours. Which
would negatively affect the business owner.

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One of the problems that many entrepreneurs faced in the pre 1440’s were due to the fact
that there was not an efficient way in which they could spread news about their product.
According to Ament, “In 1440, German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invented a printing press
process that, with refinements and increased mechanization, remained the principal means of
printing until the late 20th century”(Ament). Prior to the printing press, scribes were needed in
order to record and document things. The first immediate use of the printing press was to create
books more efficiently. If a scribe were to have messed up prior to it they would have to tear out
that page or completely start over again. The uses branched off from here, including: books,
pamphlets, newspapers, almanacs, and other printed materials. Almanacs were one of the early
farmers most valuable tools. It gave farmers insight as to when was the best time to plant,
harvest, and etc. This insight aided farmers in making their day to day decisions. Creating these
goods, that once took days to make, turned into a matter of minutes (Ament). This lead into one
of the largest parts of business today, marketing.
Soon after the creation of the printing press, an early stage of the newspaper appeared.
They were sparse and only occurred in rare instances: According to Barber, “ In the English-
speaking world, the earliest predecessors of the newspaper were cornatos, small news pamphlets
produced only when some event worthy of notice occurred.” Cornatos served as a way for
merchants to show others what they were selling. After a period of time, merchants began using
these cornatos as a means of marketing their products. Prior to the cornato word of mouth was
the only form of marketing that was commonly in use. In 666 the London Gazette was the first
official newspaper in England (Barber).This was a monumental step for the marketing field
today as we know it.

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Since the London Gazette, newspapers haven't evolved all that much. They served to
inform people of current events going on as well as advertising for businesses (Barber). For
example, a noteworthy even in a newspaper would be something like Jenkins Tire burning down.
This is an example of what a typical cornato would entail. The material found in The Pulaski
Journal is similar to what would have been found in the London Gazette. Of course, the literature
of the time period was different, but the same basic business principle is present behind both
newspaper titles. Ever since the creation of the Cornato industries have been expanded to
unfathomable levels.
One of the largest industries to this day is the firearm industry. Prior to the Renaissance
the chinese made several vital discoveries. They successfully created gunpowder within the 9th
industry, and they created the first weapon. This weapon was just a bamboo shoot that used
gunpowder to fire an object through the opposite end. (Petzel & Phil). These discoveries were
the beginning of the firearm industry, but for a few hundred years nobody could really use them
effectively. The bamboo shoot gun was extremely inaccurate, and they were not practical to use
while in battle. Stated by Petzel and Phil, “ Created in 1475, the Matchlock was the first gun to
use a trigger which brought a burning match in contact with powder” (Petzel & Phil). This was
the moment that the conquistadors, explorers, and Columbus’s gang had been waiting on. An
effective way to fire a projectile from the shoulder under the operation of one man was now
possible. It was not coincidental that the Americas were discovered a mere 17 years after this
invention. During this period of exploration rifling was created in 1498 (Petzel & Phil). These
inventions made firearms practical, lethal, and dependable. Combined with the fact that their
products could now be marketed, firearms would soon be a common sight in many households.

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With growing technologies and advancing business, a superior infrastructure was much
needed. According to Bushnell, “ Leonardo da Vinci’s genius for painting and sculpture has
often eclipsed his equally impressive talents as an engineer and architect of the late 15th and 16th
centuries.” The circular crane was one of his ideas (Bushnell). With religious wars taking place,
and the business field evolving better structures were a must. During the Renaissance large
extravagant churches were being built. Cranes enabled the heavy marble walls and pillars that
still stand to this day.
Another advancement that Leonardo da Vinci made was the idea of the ornithopter and
Ariel screw. According to Taylor, “ da Vinci came up with the Ornithopter” (Taylor). The
ornithopter was a flying machines that resembled a bird in flight. The idea did not work, but
many of his ideas aided in the creation of airplanes (Taylor). Leonardo da Vinci also invented the
aerial screw. The aerial screw is the part of the helicopter that allows the wings to lift up air, thus
making the helicopter go up (Taylor). These advancements made by him now allow goods to be
overnight shipped across the world. The transportation of goods from culture to culture makes it
possible to have a diverse selection of products in a small area.
The Renaissance was a time period that catapulted society hundreds of years into the
future. Many of the ideas and inventions that were created in this time period have made it more
convenient for an entrepreneur to display and distribute their products. Society owes a great deal
to the people of the Renaissance for all they had accomplished in the Renaissance time period.
What makes it so impressive is that compared to today's resources the inventors of this era were
working with virtually no resources. This is what makes what they did so impressive.

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Works Cited:
Ament, Phil “ History of the Printing Press - Invention of the Printing Press” History of the
Printing Press - Invention of the Printing Press. Web. 03 Dec. 2015
Barber, Phil. “ A brief History of Newspaper History”. Web. 03 Dec. 2015
Bushnell, George. “ Leonardo da Vinci as Engineer and Architect. This Italian mman is
generally thought of first for his paintings and scultures, but Montreal…” The Christian
Sciene Monitor, Web. 07 Dec. 2015
“Inventions of the Renaissance.” Bookunitteacher.com. Web. 6 Dec. 2015
Petzel, David and Bourjaily Phil. “ The Total gun Manual.” San Francisco: Petzel, 2012 Print.
Taylor, Ben. “ Top 10 Inventions by the Genius Leonardo da Vinci. “ Swide Magazine the Dolce
Gabbana Luxury Magazine Online top 10 invention by the Genius Leonardo da Vinci
comments. Web. 07 Dec. 2015