Technology · c. 1024–1088 CE
Song China: gunpowder, compass and paper money
Kaifeng (China)
Under the Song dynasty (960–1279), whose northern capital was Kaifeng, China's population roughly doubled and its economy boomed. In 1023–1024 the government took over the jiaozi notes first issued by Sichuan merchants, usually regarded as the first government paper money; the military manual Wujing Zongyao (compiled c.
1040–1044) holds the earliest known written formulas for gunpowder; and by 1088 Shen Kuo described the magnetic compass in use for navigation.
Why it mattered
Gunpowder weapons and the compass, first recorded in Europe around 1190, later transformed warfare and sea travel worldwide, while state-backed paper money pointed the way to modern currency.
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